(22)-Unlawful Imprisonment.

Three Hours Later...

August 5th

5:00 AM

Kyle awoke in a dark room, his face all battered, his bottom lip split-but in healing process, and his eyes bruised. He then looked to see Megan on her knees by his right side.

"Kyle. Oh, thank goodness you're alright." Megan said.

"Me...Megan?" Kyle said groggily. "(Grunts)." He grunted in pain from the soreness he felt all over his body as he sat up, followed by looking at his surroundings. He and the CPS social worker were inside a dark jail-cell. "What are you doing here? How did i get here?"

"Those two cops brought you here after they tased and battered you. To put it short, you got your noggin handed to you." Megan explained.

"I find that hard to believe." Kyle said. "Wait." He said before pausing for a minute to gather his thoughts. "Oh, yeah. Yeah. I ran out of the police station and ran around Arvada for two hours, looking for...for Cobey." He said, remembering everything that had happened that had led up to him and Megan being here. He had hoped it had all been just a bad dream, but his hopes were now dashed. It had happened. All of it had happened. Everything from the green clouds to Kyle running around the city in search of Cobey. It had not been a dream, but a real occurrence. Cobey was gone.

"Any luck?" Megan asked.

"I didn't find any leads, if that's what you mean." Kyle answered.

"What? Nothing?" Megan asked, surprised.

"Nope, not so much as one clue. And chances are the cops won't find anything either." Kyle said.

"(Sighs)." Megan sighed with disappointment. "I keep thinking this can't be real, ya know? That this is all some bad dream and that i'm gonna wake up. But i can't."

"Yeah. Yeah, i know the feelin'." Kyle said. He didn't blame Megan for not wanting to believe any of this, for he too had felt the same way earlier. He didn't want to believe. Any of it. He didn't want to believe that Cobey was gone off the face of the Earth with no clue as to where he might be. He didn't want to believe that the boy had simply vanished without a trace. But he had.

The sound of the holding-cell-room's door was heard opening and closing, followed by the lights turning on.

"Wonder who that could be." Megan said.

Footsteps were then heard, followed by Officer's Karter and Ivan coming into view, stopping at the cell Kyle and Megan were locked in, with Ivan holding the keys to the jail-cells in his right hand.

"Well, well, well...look who's finally awake." Officer Karter said, displaying a smug smile.

"Just in time for your mug-shot photo." Officer Ivan added, also smiling smugly.

"Rise and shine, Red. Rise and shine." Officer Karter said to Kyle.

"Why'd you tase and pummel me?" Kyle demanded.

"We'll ask the questions here, kid." Officer Ivan said.

"Yeah, well, we've already answered your questions, now what more do you want?" Kyle said.

"We want the truth." Officer Karter said.

"We've told you what happened." Kyle said.

"Yes, we know what you've told us. Your version of events anyway." Officer Karter said.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Kyle asked.

"We have reason to suspect that you two may know more than you are telling." Officer Ivan said.

"Why would you assume we're lying? We have nothing to hide." Kyle said.

"Well, the other officers have been asking around the area of the Savanah Suites hotel and witnesses say that you both saw the Drake boy before he vanished." Officer Karter explained.

"What are you saying?" Kyle asked.

"Well...you and Miss Nova were the last ones to see the boy before he went missing." Officer Ivan said.

"Yeah, and?" Kyle said.

"Well...you're our prime suspect, Kyle...and so are you, Miss Nova." Officer Ivan said.

"I don't believe this. Are you actually suggesting that you think Miss Megan and i had something to do with Cobey's disappearance?" Kyle said.

"Look...i don't like your attitude. Go ahead and keep your hands where i can see 'em. You're getting a little hostile for me." Officer Karter said.

"How am i getting hostile, because i'm asking the right questions?" Kyle asked.

"Officers...what more do you wanna know?" Megan asked.

"How often do you do this?" Officer Ivan asked.

"What do you mean?" Megan asked, confused.

"Meet with teenage-boys in hotels. How often do you do it?" Officer Ivan asked.

"Never, Officer." Megan said.

"Ma'am...you need to calm down right now. If you continue to be hostile, we're gonna have to use force." Officer Ivan said.

Kyle then noticed Officer Karter reaching for his gun in the right side of his holster.

"Officers, i can assure you i would never do what you're accusing me of. I'm a CPS social worker. My job is to protect kids from any type of abuse, not inflict it on them." Megan said.

"Well, we don't know that for certain. How do we know you're with Child Services?" Officer Ivan said.

"Well, when you questioned me earlier, i told you who i was and called the CPS department, right? So what makes you think i would be lying about that? It makes no sense." Megan said.

"Are you talking back to a police officer?" Officer Karter asked.

"No. You asked a question, it's called cooperating with authorities. You questioned me and i answered." Megan explained.

"Well, we are the law. And whatever we do is legal." Officer Karter said.

"You're both gonna get what you deserve." Megan said.

"Oh, so you're making threats now? What exactly are you gonna do? Go ahead, do something to us. Not that either of you can, since you're both behind these bars." Officer Ivan said.

"You don't even know what she's talking about." Kyle said.

"We don't care what she's talking about." Officer Ivan said.

The sound of the room's door opening was then heard, getting the attention of the two officers. "Jack, Hank?" Came a male voice, followed by the sound of the door closing, then footsteps, then a man with black/gray mixed hair and blue eyes walked up to the two officers in view of the cell. "Is everything o-" He stopped himself with he looked in the cell. "Megan? What are you doing in there? What is that boy doing in there? And why is his face all battered?" He asked. "What is the meaning of this?" He demanded as he turned his focus back to the officers.

"Chief McGennis. We had no idea you'd be hear this early in the morning." Officer Ivan said.

"That's not what i asked you. I asked you what the meaning of this was." The man known as Chief McGennis said. "See, i see my niece, Megan, in a cell with a boy who's been battered. So i'm gonna need some answers."

"Uh, well, we-we were just questioning-"

"Stand at attention when you talk to me." McGennis ordered, cutting Officer Karter off.

Officers Karter and Ivan stood up straight.

"That's better. Now tell me what happened." McGennis said.

"We were just questioning these two on the where-abouts of a missing boy." Officer Karter said.

"So why are they down here in lock-up?" McGennis asked.

"We were just being nice and letting them stay here for the night due to all the chaos that's been going on due to the blackout." Officer Ivan said.

"What i heard didn't sound at all nice." McGennis said. "Yeah, i heard the whole thing from outside the room by the door."

"Why don't you tell your boss how you kidnapped and criminalized us after i called you to report a kid missing? Or how you tased me and beat me up and dragged me back here and put me and Miss Megan in this cell. Why don't you tell them that?" Kyle said.

"Miss Nova...i deeply apologize for the misunderstanding." Officer Karter said.

But Kyle wasn't buying the cop's sudden remorse. "You apologize, really? The only reason why you're sorry now is because you got caught by your boss. And who knows what would've happened to us if he hadn't shown up, so you can keep your apology."

"Did you kidnap my niece and this boy?" McGennis asked the officers.

"No." Officers Karter and Ivan answered.

"No, no, no." Officer Karter said.

"No, sir." Officer Ivan added.

"Not at all." Officer Karter said.

"That did NOT happen." Officer Ivan said.

"Then explain to me what happened." McGennis ordered.

"Sir...we were doing a missing child investigation and we brought these two in for questioning and the kid became hostile with us and took off. We tracked him down two hours later, Hank tased him and we used physical force out of fear for our lives and we bought him back here." Officer Karter explained. "I guess the situation just kind of got out of hand."

"So you're telling me this boy, with no weapons, scared you, two armed police officers? Or was it the fact that he's a teenager that triggered you?" McGennis asked.

"No, no, sir." Officer Ivan said.

"No, no." Officer added.

"Not at all." Officer Ivan said.

"Didn't you say the other cops said that witnesses said they saw us with Cobey before he vanished and that i was your prime suspect along with Miss Megan?" Kyle asked.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, that is not what we said at all." Officer Karter said.

"Let me tell you what's gonna happen here. What case did you say you were investigating?" McGennis said.

"A missing child, sir." Officer Ivan said.

"Well, you're no longer on that case and you no longer work here. As of right now, you're both officially fired. This is not what you're trained to do and this is not what the police department stands for. And you're lucky i don't press charges against you." McGennis said.

"Sir...please. I can't lose my job, i have a family that supports me." Officer Karter said.

"Yeah. So did Martin Mubanga...so did Kristine Bunch...so did Stephon Clark...so did Larry Walker...and the many other innocent people who were kidnapped, accused, brutalized and unlawfully imprisoned by cops like you." McGennis said.

"Chief...i am begging for your forgiveness." Officer Ivan begged.

"And you have it. But let me ask you a question. If my niece had been the one who called instead of this teenager...and if this teen were a grown man...would you have treated them the way you did last night and today?" McGennis said.

"We were not trying to treat them any kind of way." Officer Ivan assured.

"No, it was a total misunderstanding." Officer Karter added.

"I want you to be honest with me. Tell me the truth right now." McGennis ordered.

"No, Chief." Officer Ivan admitted.

"My point exactly. The boy is right. The only reason you guys are sorry is because you got caught by me. If you hadn't been, this situation would've ended badly today. Now give me those keys, head back up to my office, turn in your badges, holsters, guns and tasers and get the world out of here. Somebody will have your paperwork ready and sent to you in the mail after this blackout is over. Also, i'll be expecting the turn-in of your uniforms and police cars tomorrow as well. This type of action will no longer be tolerated. Not here in Arvada." McGennis said.

Officer Ivan handed McGennis the keys-taking them with his right hand, then Officer Karter and he walked off out of Kyle and Megan's view-with the cheif turning to watch them leave, followed by the sound of their footsteps, then the sound of the door opening the closing, confirming their exit from the room.

McGennis turned back to face the cell and used one of the keys to unlock the cell-door while Kyle and Megan stood up-Kyle groaning from the soreness as they did, followed by sliding the cell-door open.

Megan then rushed up to McGennis and embraced him with a hug, who hugged her back. "Thank you, Uncle Karson." She said to McGennis.

"Don't mention it." McGennis said before he and Megan ended the hug. "My sincerest apologise, i'm so sorry this happened to the both of you." He said as Kyle and Megan exited the cell.

"Hey, no sweat." Kyle assured.

"I mean it. I'm really sorry that you had to endure this kind of treatment from two of our officers." McGennis said.

"It could've happened to anyone." Kyle said.

"I know and that makes it worse. The police system is designed to protect and serve, not kidnap and brutalize." McGennis said.

"Unfortunately, a lot of police departments have officers like this who act first and ask questions later." Megan said.

"You know, i've heard about this kind of stuff happening a lot on the News in other parts of the U.S. since i joined the force at age 30. But i always thought that our department was the exception. Boy, how wrong i was. We had two rogue cops on the force and didn't even know it. There's no tellin' how many other people they've done this to." McGennis said.

"Well, thanks to you, your force won't have to worry about that anymore." Megan said.

"So what's gonna happen to Karter and Ivan? Besides losing their jobs, i mean." Kyle said. Not that he cared about what happened to the two rogue cops, but he wanted to know if legal action would be taken against them for what they had done to him and Megan.

"I'm going to launch an investigation on all of the arrests they've made. See if they've done this to anyone else. If they have, they will face procecution. They need to be made an example of. The people on this force need to know that this kind of treatment towards citizens is not okay." McGennis said.

"Good." Kyle said. It was nice to know that this man wasn't going to let these two cops walk away from what they had done and legally hold them accountable for their actions and not just by firing them.

"I mean, know there have been times when police stations have protected their own from facing legal consequence for crimes they committed, but that's not gonna happen here. This sort of thing will not be swept under the rug by our department and it will not be tolerated." McGennis said.

"Once again, thank you." Megan said, smiling.

"Anytime, pumpkin." McGennis said, also smiling. "Now then...is there anything else i can do for you two?"

"Could you drive us back to the Suvanah Suites hotel? We need to get our stuff out of our rooms." Megan said.

"Alright. Suvanah Suites it is then." McGennis said, still smiling.

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