The neon yellow taxi screeched to a halt outside the 21st police district in Chicago, its tires spitting up muddy water. The rain had intensified into a relentless downpour, and the city streets were slick with grime.

The driver, a burly man with a shaved head and a goatee, rolled down his window. "Twenty-five bucks," he grunted.

A young woman, her dark hair dripping wet and her clothes clinging to her body, turned to face him. Her eyes were wide with fear, and her lips trembled as she tried to speak.

"Oh, right," she stammered, digging into her purse. Her hands shook so badly that she could barely find her wallet.

Panic surged through her chest as she realized it was gone. She forced a nervous giggle, but it sounded more like a strangled sob. "I can't seem to find my wallet," she said, her voice trembling.

The driver's face reddened with rage. "What the hell are you talking about?" he roared. "You gotta pay me!"

The woman's eyes almost filled with tears. "I'm so sorry," she pleaded. "All I have is this five-dollar bill," she pulled out her purse all crumbled up.

The driver's anger burned he stepped out of the car made his way to the left side of the back passenger seat swung open the door. reached out and grabbed her arm, his fingers digging into her flesh. "Get out," "now!" he yelled

The woman cried out in pain as he yanked her out of the taxi and threw her onto the rain-soaked pavement. Her belongings scattered everywhere, her purse bursting open and spilling its contents into the puddle of muddy water.

She lay there for a moment, stunned and humiliated. Then, she scrambled to her feet and brushed herself off. She was soaked to the bone, her clothes were dirty and torn, and her hair was a mess, but she was alive.

She turned to glare at the taxi driver, who was now speeding away. "Hey, you jerk!" she shouted. Her voice was hoarse and ragged, but there was a steely determination in her eyes. "I'll get you for this!" She yelled as the taxi driver started the engine and drove off quickly. Resulting in a puddle of muddy water splashing all over the woman.

Huffing in frustration, the young woman struggled to her feet, her soaking clothes weighing her down. She lost her balance and fell back down again, letting out a frustrated groan.

Picking herself up, she realized that her umbrella had fallen out of the taxi during the tumble. "Just great," she grumbled under her breath, her teeth chattering from the cold. She proceeded to pick up all the clutter that had fallen out of her purse and put all back.

She made her way up the stairs to the 21st police district, her drenched clothes clinging to her body. As she walked inside, the woman at the front desk took notice of her.

"Hello there," the woman at the front desk said.

"Hello," the young woman replied, moving towards the desk.

Sergeant Trudy Platt looked up at her and was surprised by the appearance of this stranger. The woman was a petite brunette with wide eyes and trembling lips. Her clothes were drenched and her hair was a mess, but she held her head high.

Officer Kimberly Burgess exchanged glances between the woman and Platt but said nothing.

The awkward silence was interrupted by a nervous giggle from the young woman. "What do you need?" Platt asked, her voice devoid of emotion.

"I was instructed to report to the 21st district," the young woman said. "I'm here as a substitute for Antonio Dawson from Intelligence. I was told to come here to speak with Detective Olinsky."

Platt's eyebrows arched as she surveyed the young woman's disheveled appearance.

"So, you're the one they sent to fill in for Dawson?" she asked, her tone skeptical.

The young woman nodded, her matted hair falling over her face.

"Yeah," she said, her voice hoarse.

Platt's eyes narrowed as she took in the woman's muddy clothes and drenched hair She looked like she had been through a war.

"Well, you're certainly a sight to behold," Platt said, her tone sardonic.

The woman shrugged. "I've had a rough day," she said.

Platt snorted. "I bet you have."

She slid a stack of forms across the desk. "Fill those out," she said. "Once you're done, I'll let them know you're here."

The woman took the forms and started to fill them out. Platt watched her for a moment, her eyes cold and calculating.

"Burgess!" Platt barked, her voice sharp as a blade.

Burgess snapped to attention.

"When she's done filling out the forms, make sure she's dry before you bring her upstairs," Platt ordered, her tone cold and commanding. "We don't want her getting sick before she even starts her first day."

Burgess nodded. "Copy that, Sarge"

The temporary replacement for Detective Dawson finished filling out all the forms and handed them back to Sargent Platt. "I'll let them know you're going to be on your way up. For now, follow Officer Burgess and get changed out of that." She waved her hand dismissively, gesturing to the curly-haired brunette's dirty, soaked clothing.

She simply smiled and looked at Burgess, who stood by the front desk, speaking with Sergeant Platt.

"Right this way." Burgess gestured, leading the woman to the locker room to change.

Upstairs

Intelligence was already working themselves hard for the day.

...

"Is there anyone who knows what happened to the case file on this desk?" Ruzek asked, his brow furrowed in concentration as he scanned the cluttered surface.

"Are you talking about Anderson's case file?" Lindsay asked, taking a seat at her desk, her eyes darting between Ruzek and an empty file folder.

"Yes, that's it," Ruzek replied, his voice laced with frustration.

"Wasn't that the one Sumner was supposed to turn in?" she questioned, taking a sip of her coffee, her expression thoughtful.

"Yes, but we all know what happened to her," Adam replied, his eyes narrowing as he looked into each drawer, his movements precise and deliberate.

"Doesn't that mean there's a spot open?" Halstead asked, emerging from the break room, his voice carrying a hint of amusement.

"Yeah, Kevin going to be taking her place," Ruzek replied, slamming the last drawer shut with a huff.

Alvin strode into the bullpen, his expression determined. He turned to Lindsay and asked, "Is Hank in his office?"

Erin nodded and gestured towards Voight's door. Olinsky knocked sharply and called out, "Voight."

Hank looked up from the paperwork on his desk and greeted Alvin with a curt nod. "What's this about?" he asked, his voice gravelly.

"It's about Antonio's fill-in while he's recuperating at med," Olinsky replied, his tone serious.

"Yeah, I'm aware," Voight said, his brow furrowing. "As I reviewed the file, I noticed that she had perfect scores on everything in the Academy. The only thing missing from the file is a photo of her."

Olinsky's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, I was going to go get her myself when I got a call saying she's already on her way."

Voight nodded. "Okay, that's fine."

He rose from his seat and Olinsky turned to leave, to see how everyone was doing on the case filling but then they heard voices coming from the stairs. They exchanged a look and got up to see what was going on.

All of the detectives in the bullpen froze as Burgess and the curly-haired brunette walked in. Burgess and the brunette glanced around, sensing the sudden silence.

"Hello," the woman waved, her voice chipper and out of place in the tense room.

But the silence remained until Erin spilled some of her coffee, her eyes wide with surprise.

Burgess and the curly-haired woman exchanged confused looks. Finally, Voight cleared his throat.

"Burgess, who is this?" he asked, his voice deep and gravelly.

"Oh, this is Vega," Burgess replied, her voice hesitant. She approached Voight and Olinsky, her shoulders stiff.

"I'm Valerie Vega," the woman said, her voice clear and confident. "The Academy instructed me to report to the 21st District to meet Detective Alvin Olinsky."

"So you're the rookie I picked?" Olinsky asked, his voice gruff. "Good. We need all the help we can get."

Hank turned to the rest of the detectives. "Officer Vega will be filling in for Antonio during his absence," he announced. "Show her the ropes."

Adam tried to ease the tension with a cheerful greeting for the new team member, but his attempt only made the situation more awkward.

"Burgess, you can go now," Voight said, his voice curt.

"Copy," she replied, quickly bidding Valerie goodbye before heading downstairs.

Voight pointed to the desk behind Erin. "Vega, you can take the seat there."

Valerie nodded and walked over to the desk, her eyes meeting Erin's. Erin was briefly star-struck by Valerie's beauty.

Valerie smiled, and Erin snapped out of it and smiled back. Valerie took her seat, but she looked a bit lost. She was about to ask Lindsay a question, but Olinsky beat her to it.

"You know how to file, right?" he asked gruffly.

"Yes," Valerie nodded.

"Good. Do this stack of case files," he said, handing her a large pile of papers.

"Hey, Vega," Adam said, his voice tinged with desperation. "I know you just got here, but have you seen a case file in a blue folder?"

Valerie looked up at him, her eyes wide and confused. "Um, all of these are in blue folders," she replied.

She glanced around the room, her eyes darting from desk to desk. Then, she spotted a blue folder with a pink tab sticking out of it. "Does the blue folder have a pink tab coming out of it?" she asked Adam.**

His face lit up with hope. "Yes, that's the one!" he said.

Valerie pointed to the floor in front of him. "It's underneath the desk in front of you."

Adam bent down and retrieved the folder, his brow furrowed in concentration. "Anderson," he read aloud.

He looked up at Valerie, a wide smile on his face. "It's your first day and you're already saving lives," he said.**

Valerie laughed, but her laughter was strained. She could still feel the awkwardness in the room, even though she had just helped Adam find the case file he needed.

The rest of the shift passed in a blur of case files and paperwork. Valerie, having finished her assigned tasks early, was allowed to leave the bullpen early, leaving Erin, Voight, and Al alone.

As Erin finished filing the last of her case files, Voight and Al prepared to leave the office.

"What do you think of Antonio's replacement?" Olinsky asked.

Erin closed the file cabinet and turned to face them. "I had heard of people looking alike before," she said, her voice tinged with disbelief. "But that was...frightening."

Voight locked up his office and nodded in agreement. "So you weren't aware of what she looked like until today?"

"I was just as surprised as the two of you," Al said.

Erin raised an eyebrow. "I've never seen you two look so shocked."

"You were just as shocked," Al countered.

Voight shook his head. "I just can't get it out of my head. She looks exactly like Camille did when she was her age. Even their smiles are the same."

"It's probably just a coincidence," Erin said.

"You're most likely right," Voight agreed. "But while we know Vega can handle the paperwork," he said as they walked out of the district, "let's hope she's up to the challenge outside the bullpen."