The city streets of Berk lay barren in the morning, with an oppressive silence lingering over. The streets were scattered with shattered glass, overturned trash cans, discarded banners, buildings vandalised with graffiti.
The city now laid battered and bruised after the riots from last night died down.
The riot had spread like a wildfire last night, starting from downtown and some other parts in the city, until it had engulfed almost the entire city. In some parts, the riots were more peaceful, but the same couldn't be said for the rest.
As the sun shone dimly over the city from the cloud laden sky, a sense of unease settled over the streets. The air was thick with the smell of smoke, sweat, and tear gas.
The distant hum of sirens and the occasional shouts of police officers directing the cleanup efforts could be heard, while emergency services tended to as many as possible.
Police officers stood in clusters in almost every corner, their patrols more frequent, as downtown was put under lock down, while a city wide curfew was imposed to regain control and prevent further out bursts of violence.
Talks were going on about the city government considering a community outreach to engage with the general public, and address the underlying issues.
To say the least, the riot had left its mark on the city, and it would take time to heal.
…
The diner was relatively empty, when police detective Jack Frost entered the building. Due to the curfew, many people have refrained from exiting their homes, leading to diner, which normally would have been pretty hectic with an early morning rush at this time, to now lacking many of the regulars.
Jack walked over to a table, which was already occupied by a person dressed in a big dark brown coat, and a black hat. The person was looking down at the table, where rested a plate of baked beans, with a side of hash browns, which looked quite crispy, and sunny side up eggs.
The plate looked rather appetising to Jack in the early morning, after all the rush last night.
As he reached the table, he dragged the spare chair out and sat on the opposite side of the person, with them now sitting face to face. The person stopped for a moment, as if acknowledging the presence of the detective, before refocusing on eating.
They sat in silence for a few moments, until Jack decided to break the silence.
"Last night was pretty hectic, huh?" Jack smiled, in an attempt to break the ice.
"You tell me, policeman." the person looked up, revealing herself to be Camicazi Bogs, as she sarcastically replied.
"Hey, hey, what's with the aggression, lady?" Jack raised his arms, in a mock defense.
"Nothing." Camicazi sighed, focusing back on her meal,"Just a little on the edge since last night."
Jack nodded. "Well, can't blame you. The entire department was on its toes last night."
Jack called over a waitress, placing an order of a cheese burger with a side of fries. The waitress noted down his order with a smile, and walked away to fetch him his meal.
As the waitress left, Camicazi turned her attention back to Jack. "Hungry, Frost?" She asked teasingly.
Jack just rolled his eyes. "After all the running around last night? Yeah. Besides, you're one to talk? You got the entire ration of an African village on your plate."
Camicazi laughed a little at the reply. A while later, the waitress returned again, this time holding a tray with Jack's meal and a glass of water.
"Wow, that was fast." Jack whistled in surprise.
"The business is quite slow today, so the cook was able to get your order done sooner, sir." The waitress replied, setting his plate down in front of him.
"Ah, thanks miss. And also give my thanks to the cook." Jack smiled.
The waitress smiled a little too. "I sure will, good sir."
The waitress then left, and Jack picked up the freshly made burger. He bit into it, enjoying the flavours that exploded in his mouth, as he continued to eat his meal.
"Anyways, have you found anything about the mercenaries? Who hired them? Etc?" Camicazi asked.
"Nope. All my sources came out blank so far. No one has heard as much as a squeak about who had hired these mercs." The detective sighed, before looking up,"But an educated guess says they were hired for Nightfury, to take him out. And probably by someone who is threatened by Nightfury's presence."
"Nice job Sherlock. You have any idea how little that narrows it down?" Camicazi sassed back, rolling her eyes.
"Hey, cut me some slack. It ain't easy, you know." Jack quipped in his defense,"There's only so much I can do without raising much suspicion."
Camicazi sighed. "Let's just hope somebody may have more success than us in this matter." Camicazi then looked at her side, looking through the glass windows of the diner and at the bare roads outside.
"Do you think he saw it too? The riot I mean." She suddenly asked.
Jack followed her gaze and sighed. "Possibly. An event like that isn't exactly easy to miss."
Camicazi turned away, returning her focus back on her plate, as she poked her food. "What do you think he thinks about it?"
"I…" Jack's eyes were downcast,"I don't know… He's as much of a mystery to me nowadays, as he is to anyone."
"Do you think he will take it as a validation for his morals? For his way of doing things?"
Jack sighed as he took a sip of water. "Cami, both you and I know he's just standing up against a flawed system and a broken society."
"But at what cost?" Camicazi argued,"You have seen what it all brought forth last night."
"I don't know." Jack admitted,"What I do know is, he is on a crusade to clean up this broken city, no matter what it takes. You have said it yourself before, Cami. He's just a new demon this hell hole spewed out. Only this time, the demon is here to strike the devil down."
Camicazi looked down, her expression slightly skeptical. "And that's what worries me. With the disregard for everything he is showing, I'm afraid he's going down a slippery slope, and would be consumed by this city too."
"Perhaps." Jack nodded,"But at the same time he's the symptom of the larger problem that lies within this city. A reflection of the city's frustration and anger, taken a form of a dark justice bringer."
Camicazi sighed. "For now, let's just hope for the best, Frost."
Jack nodded, raising his glass. "Amen to that, Cami."
…
Astrid nervously stood before the door leading to Stoick's office. With a deep breath, she knocked on the door.
"Come in." came the reply.
Astrid took another shaky breath, before opening the door, and stepping inside. She was greeted by the sigh of Stoick sitting on his desk, fashioning a pair of glasses, and going through some files.
"You asked for me, sir?" She asked.
Stoick took off his glasses, placing them on the table before standing up.
"Do you know what this is, Astrid?" Stoick asked, showing her one of the files, before dropping it on the table,"A report of everything that happened last night. 18 deaths, Astrid. 18. All of which were acts of vigilantism by one or a whole group of civilians against small time crooks and criminals.
People got arrested for a variety of misdemeanors as well as crimes last night. And many other things that if we're to mention, we'd be here the whole day."
Astrid's gut twisted as she heard all this. "Sir, I-" she tried to speak up, but Stoick cut her off.
"When I spoke about fearing Nightfury's influence, and what he represents, this is what I meant." He spoke, his voice rising,"He's an enigma! A fucking piece that doesn't or even wants to fit! He undermines the authority of proper legal systems to bring down his own judgement, for god knows what fucking reasons!" Stoick shouted.
Astrid could do nothing but look down. "Sir, I understand-" She tried to speak up once more.
"No, you do fucking not, Hofferson!" Stoick shouted, slamming his hand down on the table.
It took all of her will power for Astrid to not flinch under Stoick's displeased shout, as she looked down once more.
"Last night was a mess! The city council is in distress with the events. It serves as a fucking proof of how much influence over the civilians Nightfury has amassed. And also a reminder on how he can use that influence." Stoick continued, his voice rising. The room seemed to quake under his booming voice. "He's a menace! Endangering civilians, putting law enforcement at risk, causing unnecessary violence, manipulating public opinion, and God knows what else he will do if we let him continue on."
Stoick stopped for a moment to take a breath, and sighed. "I had put you in charge of this investigation because I had hoped someone capable like you, a young agent who has successfully completed every case she has tackled, will be able to solve this case, and put that vigilante to justice before he can cause any further harm."
Astrid looked up, finding Stoick gazing straight at her, his eyes holding a sense of disappointment that she had never had directed towards her before.
"But it's apparent I was mistaken."
Shame crawled up on her face, as she felt herself getting on the verge of tears, as those sentences escaped his lips.
Astrid looked down. She wanted to bury herself in the ground. Never had she been the one on the receiving end of Stoick's disappointment. Is this how Hi-... he felt?
Stoick sighed and sat back down on his seat. "The city council is on edge, and they want this problem resolved as soon as possible." He spoke,"Pressure is on law enforcement, and subsequently us, since B.S.D.I is operating on government funding. They want Nightfury behind the bars as soon as possible, to prevent further damages."
Stoick looked up at Astrid. "You have 3 weeks, Hofferson." He said, his voice stern,"3 weeks. If you cannot bring in Nightfury in these 3 weeks, you will be taken off the case and put into disciplinary actions. And I will handle things regarding that vigilante in my way. Am I clear?"
Astrid could only nod. "Yes sir. Crystal."
"Good. You may leave now." Stoick dismissed her with a wave of hand.
Astrid turned around, and started to walk away. She was about to exit the room, when Stoick called out,"And Hofferson."
Astrid turned back at the head of B.S.D.I.
Stoick looked at her sternly. "Do not fail me anymore."
"Yes sir." Astrid replied before walking out.