Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author's note: Just to make sure everyone is clear on the nature of this 'story' - it consists of five individual unrelated scenes where Lassiter hears about Spencer's prowess with a weapon, and one where he finally sees it. Unfortunately, I'm not good enough to write this challenge in the form of one over-arching plot…sorry. Still, I hope you enjoy it for what it is!

The Arcade

"Lassie! What brings you here?" queried Shawn cheerfully. He and Gus were just exiting a busy mall arcade when they literally ran into detectives Lassiter and O'Hara entering.

"None of your business, Spencer," snapped the dark-haired man irritably, raising his voice to be heard over the cacophony of sound spilling from the entrance.

"What are you doing here, Shawn?" Juliet had the sneaking suspicion that this wasn't a chance encounter.

"Oh, a bit of this and that…"

Gus rolled his eyes as he literally stamped his foot in frustration. "He just spent four hours playing 'House of the Dead' with a couple of yahoos in there."

Shawn appeared offended as he addressed his friend. "Hey, a little appreciation, Gus. That game is the classic first-person zombie shooter; I mean, living dead, high-powered weapons…what more could you want for an evening's entertainment?"

Guster was clearly upset. "Oh, I don't know, Shawn…maybe food? Music? Dancing? Something that costs more than fifty cents?"

"Hey, I saw you over on the DDR…"

"Wait a second," interrupted Lassiter, suddenly interested in the conversation. He'd actually played 'House of the Dead' occasionally when he was in the Academy, whenever the range was closed. It really was a fairly good first-person shooter, if you ignored the fact that you were killing zombies. Still, practice was practice. "Did I understand Guster to say that you played that game for four hours on just two tokens?"

"Well, other people pitched in from time to time to help out, so it was never just me versus the zombies; you stay alive longer when you team up. It's amazing the friends you make over massive violent zombie death." Shawn tilted his head curiously, "Why, do you play?"

Carlton snorted derisively. "Of course not. I outgrew that years ago." He pointed to his sidearm and continued with a smirk, "When I got a REAL gun."

Spencer nodded with a shrug. "Too bad. Might have been fun." He grinned again and punched his buddy on the shoulder. "If you think Gus dislikes dead bodies, you should see him with walking dead bodies. I can't get him within ten feet of the machine!" Turning to his friend he continued, "Dude, I keep telling you they're not real…"

"Nevermind that, these people are busy." Gus interrupted as he snagged Shawn's elbow and propelled him forward. "Come on, you promised me real food." Nodding politely to O'Hara and Lassiter, he smiled tightly, "Goodnight, Detectives."

Juliet watched bemusedly as the pair headed towards the food court. "Well, they won't find any 'real food' there," she commented, shaking her head. When Lassiter didn't answer, she turned towards him curiously. "Carlton?"

Lassiter was lost in thought, ruminating on how Spencer managed to play that arcade shoot-em-up for so long without being killed. He himself had been proud of his two-hour stretch for twenty dollars. Of course, Spencer was right about the teamwork thing; Carlton had always played alone. You were much less likely to become zombie-chow if you had a partner watching your back. Still… 'He can't be that good…can he?' He shook himself and glanced at his real-life partner, who was staring at him strangely, head tilted in silent consideration.

"Come on, let's go find Lorenzo," he snapped as he headed into the dimly-lit arcade and began searching for the young man they'd interrogated yesterday. New evidence had surfaced, possibly due to the intervention of a consulting psychic, and Lassiter now had some more questions that needed answering.

O'Hara tapped him on his shoulder and shouted in his ear, above the din of the machines, "There he is! At that upright!" She pointed unerringly at their suspect as he stood half-way down the second aisle in front of a thinning crowd of spectators.

Lassiter groaned as he recognized the 'House of the Dead' logo on the side of the machine.

TBC…

Author's Note: I have only played 'House of the Dead' a couple of times, and died horribly in the first five minutes, so I am unsure how long you can actually play the game if you don't die. Please forgive any inconsistencies between my story and actual game play. (Plus, it tickles me to imagine Lassiter playing the game, even in the Academy!)