M: As promised, I hereby present you with the first chapter of the revived The Cop and the Robber. I hope you all enjoy!
Chapter 11: A nearly forgotten foe (part 2)
"Nothing is easier than to denounce the evil doer; Nothing more difficult than understanding him." – Fyodor Dostoevsky
The precinct had been in complete disorder ever since the body with the NAVY SEAL uniform was found, but amidst all that chaos, a small group was actively working toward a solution. It was the group made up of Captain Andreas Xavier, Detective Chase Trigger, Detective Silvex Knyght and Special Agent Zuma Shade of the Navy Criminal Investigative Service. They wrote down their names on the official case file Zuma had provided them with. He gave it to them immediately after they left the hospital, where Marshall was keeping Rocky company.
"So, tell me, Captain, what do you have so far?" Zuma asked as he took a marker and started writing on the whiteboard, aka the 'murder board'.
"Well, so far we only have the body found, we believe him to be a NAVY SEAL." Xavier said as he recalled Sergeant Brooks' report.
"And that body was found where?" Zuma asked. "Probably somewhere on the docks, near the ocean?"
"Yeah, it was." Xavier said. "Sergeant Brooks said the body was found on the docks. Not too far from the pier."
"Well, then I'm afraid the killer has already moved on." Zuma sighed as he put down the marker. "For a second there, I had hoped we might be able to capture him, but he'll be long gone by now."
"Why is that?" Chase asked, voicing the thoughts of everyone present.
"Because the PtP-killer is quick, efficient and doesn't usually break pattern." Zuma explained. "He always kills one person per city, before moving on to the next. He never leaves any evidence, and he is gone by the time that the body is found."
"So, seeing as he killed the SEAL two hours ago, it would mean that he has probably already left the city." Chase added, to which Zuma nodded.
"I'm not so sure…" Silvex said, piquing everyone's interest. He was studying one of the printed pictures of the SEAL's body. "Zuma, has the PtP-killer ever fought against SEALs before?"
"Yeah, he killed several before, why?" Zuma wondered, thereby voicing the questions of everyone gathered there.
Silvex put the picture he had on the table, which turned out to be from a tattoo on the victim's arm. "Anyone know what this is?"
"Isn't that a SEAL tattoo?" Captain Xavier asked.
"It's supposed to be, but it isn't." Silvex said. He then pointed out several details in the tattoo that shouldn't be in it, according to Silvex. "This was a case of stolen valour. And if the PtP-killer has gone up against SEALs before, then he will have noticed the difference in skill. This killer is meticulous, meaning that I don't think he'll settle for an imposter. I think he's going to kill again."
"Are you sure?" Zuma asked.
"Of course, I'm not. This guy is a psycho, who knows what he's thinking?" Silvex replied. "All I know is that we might have another shot at catching him if we play our cards right. Zuma, where do you think he'll strike?"
"Like you said, he's a psycho. But he's smart enough to evade capture." Zuma replied. "He won't go back to the docks where he killed the fake SEAL, so I'm guessing that he'll go to the pier."
"Then let's go!" Captain Xavier said, before Chase pulled him back.
"Hey guys." Chase said at a volume one would consider whispering. "Let's keep this between the four of us, we can't risk anything leaking out to the press. As we all know, there are cops on the force that have trouble keeping their mouths shut."
"As much as I hate to admit it, but I think you're right." Xavier said as he too whispered. "I say we keep it between us like Detective Trigger suggested."
As Xeno looked around in the van, all he saw were the grim-looking faces of his comrades which was the appropriate expression, if you account for the circumstances. After all, it wasn't like they were having a picnic in the park. No, they were doing something entirely different: they were about to rob a bank. The team consisted of six assets, instead of the usual four. It was called Razor squad, and it was Bloodrazor's personal assault team. Each member was equipped with a handgun and an M4 assault rifle. When the team was assigned to Xeno, he became Razor 1. Personally, he preferred to work alone, as usual. But then again, he didn't usually rob banks either. The other added member was Marcus, who was armed just like the rest of them. Both Marcus and Xeno had been outfitted with specially modified equipment, since they were both canines. As Xeno looked through the front window of the van they were in, he recognized where they were and therefore he knew they had only about a minute left.
"So, are ya all clear on the plan?" Xeno asked, to which his five partners in crime nodded. "Well, lemme go through it again, just to be sure." Xeno said before he spotted a very nervous Marcus sitting across from him. "On second thought, Marcus, why don't ya tell us what to do?"
"U-uhm, well, if you say so, sir." Marcus staggered. "First, the five of us storm the bank…" Marcus said as he gestured at the five bank-robbers-to-be in the back. "…While Razor 2 stays behind in the van to serve as our getaway driver. When we storm the bank, Razor 3 and 4 will subdue the two security guards, while Razor 5 forces all the civilians to the ground. When we have the situation under control, Razor 3, 4 and 5 will keep watch over the prisoners and the hostages, while Razor 1 and myself, Razor 6 will move deeper into the bank, work our way through the security and into the vault. Once we have acquired the loot, we move out all together into the van that's parked outside." Marcus concluded. "Did I leave anything out?"
"No, ya did admirably." Xeno replied as the van suddenly stopped. "Don't forget the ski masks and let's move out."
After their realizations during the discussion earlier, the team made their way to the pier as fast as they could. Since they didn't want to spook the PtP-killer, they were minimally armed and were wearing their vests underneath other clothing. They also made sure that their badges were out of sight. They took two separate cars, one with Silvex and Captain Xavier, the other with Chase and Zuma. Both duo's travelled in silence, the hunt for the serial killer taking up all of their attention. When they arrived, the pier was as busy as it usually was around this time, meaning that there were plenty of people around. They got out of their separate vehicles and united at the beginning of the pier.
"So, what's our game plan?" Chase asked.
"We split up into groups while keeping contact over the communicators." Zuma proposed. "Keep your eyes out for anyone or anything suspicious and if you see someone wearing a uniform, tell them to get the hell out."
"Sounds like a plan, everyone in?" Xavier asks, to which both Silvex and Chase nodded. "Then let's go!"
All four of them ran over the pier which, thankfully, wasn't as crowded as during the lunch hour. They ran down the pier, searching every building, looking at everyone, until, finally, they heard a scream.
They all started to run towards it. Silvex was the closest, so he was the first to arrive. When he did, he stormed into the building where the scream had come from and there he saw a small figure looming over a man dressed like a firefighter, who wasn't moving.
"CCPD, put your hands up and step away from the body!" Silvex shouted as he aimed his gun at the suspect.
"No, I think not." came the high-pitched response from the suspect, which Silvex identified as a female voice. She then turned around and stepped into the light, at which point Silvex noticed she was wearing a red-and-white cloak like piece of cloth, with a makeshift hood hiding her face in the shadows.
"You're under arrest for murder!" Silvex said. Zuma and Chase then arrived, both having their guns drawn and aiming them at her.
"I think-" she said, but stopped when she noticed the other two canines that just arrived. She then said something else that was more like whispering than actually saying something: "PAW-Patrol…"
She then turned around to where Xavier had just appeared, having his gun drawn as well. She saw him, he saw her and for a moment they made eye-contact. But then she charged at him with incredible speed, knocking the gun out of his hand and throwing him to the ground. She raised a claw to strike at him but heard Chase, Silvex and Zuma closing in on her. She looked back at them and then made a break for it. Zuma and Chase pursued her while Silvex stayed behind to check on the firefighter and the Captain. The latter was mostly unharmed, but the former was definitely dead. Zuma and Chase were chasing the suspect as fast as they could, in the direction of the mainland.
"We're catching up!" Zuma yelled to Chase, who then noticed it as well. They were catching up, but what Zuma didn't notice was a large group of tourists walking onto the pier, on a direct collision course with the two dogs. They tried to run around it, but unfortunately failed to do so and had to work their way through a maze of legs before they finally reached freedom. Once they were out, they were ready to continue the chase, but their suspect was nowhere to be seen.
"Where the hell is she?!" Zuma yelled as he looked around.
"She couldn't have gotten far… Right?" Chase asked.
"Far or not, she got away from us." Zuma said as he holstered his gun. "Let's hope the firefighter is still alive, then this wasn't a complete waste." the lab said as they walked back. Once they entered the warehouse, they were relieved to see the captain sitting up and looking fine. But they both felt sad when they saw the firefighter lying on the floor, in a rapidly expanding puddle of blood.
"Did you catch her?" Silvex asked as he walked towards them.
"No, she got away." Zuma said. "We need to figure out her next move, maybe that'll tell us where she went. Is there anything odd or out of the ordinary that anyone noticed in her behaviour?"
"Well, now that you mention it." Silvex said. "When she saw me, she walked at me without fear, even though I had a gun aimed at her. But when you two joined me, she appeared to be scared to death. Now it could just be that she thought that one bullet would miss and three wouldn't but then again, did any of you hear what she said at the end?"
"You heard that too?" Zuma asked. "I thought I was just going paranoid. She said PAW-Patrol, I'm sure of it."
"Yeah, I heard that too." Chase said. "It has to be related to our time in the PAW-Patrol, maybe it was someone we saved, or stopped?"
"Possibly, or maybe it relates to our time after the PAW-Patrol." Zuma said. "I say we reach out all former members and try to figure this out."
"That sounds like a plan." Silvex said. "How do we start?"
"Well, Chase and I are already here, Rocky and Marshall are in the hospital, which makes four out of eight." Zuma answered. "We only need to find Tracker, Sky, Everest and Rubble." As he mentioned that last name, both Silvex and Chase frowned. "What is it?"
"Well, Rubble is dead, remember?" Chase asked Zuma.
"Oh, right. I can't believe I forgot that." Zuma replied. "But, on the bright side, it's one less patroller we need to find."
"So that leaves Tracker, Everest and Sky, any ideas where they are?" Chase asked.
"Well, if I know Rocky at all and I'd like to think that I do, then he has a file on each and every one of us." Zuma said. "I believe that the logical first step is to ask him."
"And I suppose this has nothing to do with what's going on between Rocky and you?" Chase asked with a lean smile.
"Uhm, well…" Zuma staggered. "I'd be lying if I said that he wasn't completely on my mind all the time, but I do sincerely think he is the solution. It's probably best if we don't take Xavier though, just in case."
"Agreed, I guess we'll need to get to him and fast. If there's anything I know about serial killers, it's that they need to stick to their routine, which we just disturbed." Silvex said. "There's no telling what she'll do now."
When Xeno opened the doors, the team, minus Razor 2 who was the getaway driver, jumped out and ran towards the bank. Without needing any commands, the team went exactly where they were supposed to go. As they stormed the bank, all you could hear was Razor 3 and Razor 5 shouting the people had to get down on the floor, while the rest of the team just pointed their guns at any stragglers who soon got down as well. It wasn't long before Xeno gave the signal to Marcus and both of them climbed across the reception desk to the door in the back. After opening it, both Razors saw a staircase leading to the basement and Xeno headed down, with Marcus only a few steps behind. Marcus had known everything about the plan up until this point, so he just followed Xeno's lead. Xeno, on the other hand, seemed to know exactly where he was going. They passed many offices, left and right until they reached a big metal door.
"What do we do now?" Marcus asked worriedly. "How do we break through a door like that?"
"We don't." Xeno simply replied. "We open it by using a DNA scan."
"Wait, what?" Marcus asked. "That vault uses a full-body biometric scan of its clients. Can we pass one of those?
"Well, I can't, but that's why I brought ya along." Xeno said. "According to Bloodrazor, in some cases, a familiar match is good as well. He also said that ya are a familiar match to one of their clients."
"You mean to say that I have a family member who's authorized to enter?" Marcus asked with a hint of excitement in his voice.
"Yeah." Xeno said. He didn't let it on, but his companion's excitement made him feel a little nervous. "But we're wasting time, put yar paw against that scanner!"
Marcus did as he was told, and looked at the screen next to the scanner, which read: "Verifying Identity, please hold on." It took a good full minute, but eventually, the screen read. "Identity confirmed, welcome Detective Silvex Knyght."
Marcus read the screen and he saw Silvex's picture displayed on it. This intensified Xeno's nervousness, he could sense something had changed in Marcus' demeanour. And the Australian knew one thing for sure, this change wasn't for the better. As he closed in on Marcus, he asked: "Marcus, are ya all right?"
At first, Xeno didn't get a response, so he asked again. When his second question remained unanswered as well, he tapped Marcus on his shoulder. Afterwards, Xeno had wished he hadn't, but at the moment it seemed like the right play. That changed when Marcus chose to react, and not in a verbal way. In one smooth reflex, Marcus grabbed Xeno's paw, claws drawn and pulled Xeno so that he was lying on top of Marcus. He then smashed the Australian pup into the wall as hard as he could. Marcus backed away, only to close in on a knocked out Xeno. Marcus quickly grabbed Xeno's front right paw, which was essential for Xeno to shoot, and broke it. Marcus then got up and readied his assault rifle. He took one look back at Xeno, content with his handiwork and then left the Australian pup for dead. He headed back to the lobby with his rifle armed and at the ready, he was fully prepared to face the rest of Razor Squad.
When Marcus arrived back in the lobby, he found himself to be a bit winded from his fight with Xeno, as well as the staircase he had just sprinted up. On top of said staircase, he had to take a few moments to regain his breath and take in the room, so that he knew what he was up against. He looked at his three teammates, who looked back at him. At the same moment, all three seemed to notice something was up and raised their rifles at Marcus, but they were too slow. Marcus opened fire at them first, while running towards the reception where he ducked behind cover. He had managed to take out one of his teammates, but the other two had opened fire at him. While he was hunkering down and bullets were flying all around him, the husky came very close to getting a panic attack when he suddenly heard two rifles click. Without hesitation, he jumped up with his rifle and shot Razor 3 straight through the head. Marcus then aimed his rifle at Razor 5, who was standing on the opposite side of the room, and nearly emptied his magazine in the guy's chest, neck, and with the last two bullets, his head. Marcus felt and heard his rifle click, so he dropped it and drew his handgun, while he was slowly approaching the place where Razor 4 was lying on the ground. He had carefully aimed and confirmed the kills of Razors 3 and 5, but he never actually saw Razor 4 go down. He carefully made his way over to his fallen teammate, never taking his eyes off him. When he got to the body, he saw that his bullets had hit his target mostly in the chest and shoulders. Without hesitation, Marcus put his handgun to Razor 4's head, and pulled the trigger.
He got up and started walking towards the exit when he realized his path was blocked by none other than Razor 2.
Zuma, Silvex and Chase entered the hospital, walking straight towards the reception across from the entrance which was manned by a dark-haired middle-aged woman with a nametag reading Hilda.
"Hi, we're here to see John Smith, we're friends of him." Zuma said to the receptionist.
"All right, let me check the system…" Hilda said. "Oh, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but Mr Smith has been attacked."
"WHAT?!" Zuma shouted. "What happened?!"
"Apparently a lone attacker tried to inject him with a neurotoxin that would've stopped his heart." Hilda said as she read the report. "Had it not been for his visitor, it would have succeeded."
"Hold on." Chase said. "That visitor, is he alright?"
"Oh yes, they are both fine." Hilda said. "It seems they have been moved to the secure wing of the hospital. I'll call his doctor for you." she said as she started typing on her computer again and staring closely at the screen. "Alright, he'll be with you shortly, please take a seat in our waiting room over there."
The three canines followed her instructions and they took a seat. The first few minutes, they spent in silence, all imagining what had happened to their friends, or mates. Every scenario they came up with was worse than the one before, but then they remembered that both Rocky and Marshall were fine and they calmed down again. And then the cycle started again, until even the ever calm Silvex couldn't bear the silence anymore, so he asked the first question that came to mind:
"Have you confessed your feelings yet, Rocky?" Silvex asked, even though it was far from the perfect icebreaker. "And how did he react?"
"Well, when we talked…" Zuma said as he thought back, unwittingly putting a smile on the labs face. "I was trying to say it, I swear, I tried for what seemed like hours, but no words came out. But then I gathered all my courage and I accepted the result, whatever it might be. I was about to say it when he confessed his love to me."
This made Chase chuckle. "You know, I always thought Rocky to be the one to confess first, guess I was right. So, are you together now?"
"Yes, we are." Zuma replied. "I was just on my way to tell you guys when Xavier stopped by."
"Speaking of interruptions, here comes one know." Silvex said as he noticed Doctor Blackthorn walking towards them.
"Hello Chase, Zuma and Silvex, it's a good thing you're here." Samuel Blackthorn said. "First of all, both your compatriots are alright."
"Can you take us to them?" Zuma asked.
"Sure, but Rocky needs to remain under guard, I trust you guys are up for the task?" Samuel asked.
"We sure are, I won't let anything happen to him!" Zuma said. "Now can you tell us where he is?"
"Sure, just follow me." Samuel said, right before he turned around and walked away, with Zuma, Chase and Silvex right behind him.
It was a cold, dark night, as usual, but somehow, it was even more chilly than normal, like there was something ominous about to happen.
It's almost like even the weather gets influenced by the port-to-port killer. Xavier thought before thinking back to her appearance, and it still sent tingles down his spine. During that second of eye contact, he saw far too much than he bargained for. He could picture her clearly, from the outfit to the eyes, that single second he got to see her, it was traumatizing. She was wearing a cloak like outfit, which seemed to be made out a piece of cloth like a sweater or a jacket that had been torn apart, then crudely sewn back together. Underneath all the blood and dirt, it bore the colours white and red, with a hint of blue. Whatever its original design was, Xavier couldn't make it out. This cloak, it was scary, frightening, it gave you the feeling that everything, no matter how good it seems, can be torn apart, and transformed into something evil. But the cloak wasn't the worst part of her. No, the worst part was the eyes. Xavier's spine tingled just thinking about them. Eyes like burning coals, full of blind hatred.
He then heard a twig snap behind him, and he instantly turned around. Out of reflex, he had his hand on his gun and was about to pull it out of its holster when he noticed he didn't see anyone. Once he realized that, he relaxed again. He let go of his gun and was about to turn around when, out of nowhere, came a devastating blow to Xavier's head, sending him flying down to the ground. Xavier felt his face touch the ground in front of him as his vision started to blur, the last thing he heard was the attacker's high-pitched voice:
"T-the-the PAW-Patrol is h-here!"
Razor 2 raised his handgun aimed at Marcus, and before the husky could react, Razor 2 fired three bullets at him. Directly afterwards, Marcus returned fire, putting four bullets in Razor 2's chest. Marcus then smiled and started to walk towards Razor 2 when the husky suddenly collapsed. Only then he realized he'd been shot, of the three bullets fired at him, only one had hit their mark, reaching straight for the husky's heart.
Marcus tried to speak, but all that came out of his mouth was blood, which he spit out. He tried, and again he failed to speak. It was only when he made his third attempt that he managed to utter a few words through the blood: "You should have stayed in the van!" he yelled.
"And let you kill the whole team? Hell no!" Razor 2 said between blood-filled coughs, he too was suffering internal injuries.
"If it makes you feel any better, Xeno's merely knocked out" Marcus replied, the husky couldn't help showing an evil grin.
Razor 2 then calmed down and sighed. "Why did you? Why did you do it, Marcus?"
"My name isn't Marcus! And it isn't Agent-792!" the husky screamed with whatever strength was left in him. "It's Shadex Knyght. Bloodrazor wiped out my identity, but now it's time I take it back. Starting with finding my brother." he then got up and started limping for the exit, but before reaching it, he collapsed and passed out.