"80 might be the passing grade, Boot, but if you don't get at least a 90, you should turn in your badge on general principle." I tell West
"Officer Chen, I will take it as a personal insult if you get anything less than a 93." Tim says to Lucy
"Yes, sir. Have you figured out what you're gonna do with all your new free time? Might I suggest a book club?" Lucy asks him
"What are you talking about?" Tim asks her
"You know, after I pass, there won't be any more daily evaluations to write." Lucy says
"Whether I evaluate you daily or weekly, I will continue to judge you every minute. Understood?" Tim asks
"Yes, sir." Lucy says and Grey takes his place at the podium
"So, all right. Big day ahead. Rookies will work the first six hours of their shift on patrol, then come back to take the written test. Hey, try not to tire them out this morning. Just take the easy calls, okay?" Grey asks
"I don't do easy." Tim tells him
"But you do follow direct orders, am I right, Officer Bradford?" Grey asks him
"Yes, sir." Tim answers
"Good. Easy, then. Following the written exam, you three will report to the Chief's office, where he will personally administer the oral exam. Remember, he can fail you for a dozen different reasons, so - " Grey says tapping his temple and continues talking "Remind me, Officer Nolan, how the Chief feels about you."
"Oh, big fan, sir." John says
"Mm-hmm. Yeah. All right, see you three back here in six hours. All right, that's it." Grey says
****
West is loading our gear into our shop.
"You're driving today, Officer West." I tell West
"I am? Why?" West asks
"'Cause we both know you're gonna pass the exam." I tell him
"I mean, I feel pretty good, but -" West says but I interrupt him
"The rules and regulations of the LAPD are part of your DNA." I tell him
"You're right. Test's in the bag." West says
"Which means I have today to decide whether to request you be assigned to a new training officer." I tell him
"What? Why?" West asks
"Because I feel like I failed you. You were a mess right out of the gate. And I thought I got you past it. But then you lost it again last week. So either you're falling down or I am." I tell him
"What happened last week was my fault. I let my family drama get in the way, and it won't happen again." West says
"It's not good enough. You shouldn't still be struggling with the most basic question "Why am I here?" Why do you want to be a cop, Officer West?" I ask him
"Because I've always wanted to be one." West says
"Being groomed for this isn't the same as choosing it. You gotta want this job for the right reason. For you, not your father." I tell him
"So, why did you choose it?" West asks me
"I have four older brothers and an older sister. Guess it gave me a pathological need to stand up for the little guy. Which is why I was also willing to dig deep with you, but maybe I've given you too much leash. Maybe you need a different instructor to get your head on straight." I tell him
"I don't want a different instructor. Look, just tell me what I have to do." West says
"You never got a real Plain Clothes Day. So this morning you're gonna run things. Then we'll see what happens." I tell him
****
West and I bring in two suspects as Grey walks into the area.
"Sit on the bench." I tell the suspect
"I thought I told you to take it easy." Grey tells me
"We did. Officer West spotted these two trying to steal an ATM from the Save Mart on Cahuenga." I tell him
"Writing it up as a 211?" Grey asks
"No, sir. Technically, it's considered a bank burglary, not a robbery." West says
"Very good." Grey says
"Sir, can I ask you something?" West asks
"Okay." Grey says
"Why'd you become a cop?" West asks him
Grey gives me a look of puzzlement.
"I gave him a little homework. Easy day and all." I tell Grey
"I liked the teamwork. I missed it after the Army." Grey says
The door to Processing opens and I see Wesley talking to someone in the bullpen.
"I need those files right now." Wesley says
"Excuse me." I say to Grey and West and I go to talk to him
"Hey." Wesley says to me
"Hey. How's it going?" I ask him
"Better now." Wesley says
"So, listen, I can probably duck out of here early. Jackson's got an exam this afternoon. Any way you can clear your schedule for some us time?" I ask him
"Actually, I think I can." Wesley says
"Really?" I ask him
"Yeah. Call me when you're off." Wesley says and I give him a nod
****
Russo and Morgan are leading the briefing; Grey stands nearby.
"Okay, so here is what we know. At 10:00 last night, this man, Corey Valance, boarded a bus from Phoenix to L.A. He had a partner with him. We have no identification on that man, but we do know that they're part of a fringe nationalist group which believes that Los Angeles stands for everything that is wrong in America." Russo says
"The two men arrived here at 5:00 this morning. We believe Corey's partner strangled him in the bus station bathroom right after." Grey says
"You thinking Corey got cold feet?" Tim asks
"It seems likely, yes, especially since they came here with this deadly virus." Russo says
"Well, that explains the Silkwood shower we just took." John says
"That was purely a precaution. There is no evidence that the biological agent they were transporting has been released." Morgan says
"But we do have every reason to believe that there is an attack planned in the near future." Russo says
"What type of virus are we talking about?" Lucy asks
"A weaponized strain of hemorrhagic fever, basically causes you to start bleeding and never stop. And that's how the virus spreads, through contact with bodily fluids. It has an extremely short incubation period and a gruesome pathology. If not treated quickly, it has a 90% fatality rate." Morgan tells her
Morgan runs through several images on the screen, obviously of victims of the virus, and they are indeed gruesome.
"And if it's treated quickly?" John asks
"We believe that drops down to around 60%. But the bad news is -" Morgan says but John interrupts him
"That's not the bad news?" John asks
"No. The bad news is, there's only an experimental vaccine. We're flying it here from Atlanta. But there's only a few hundred doses. Nowhere near enough to combat an outbreak." Morgan says
"So, obviously, the rookie exam will be postponed. The Feds are asking us to be their boots on the ground while they set up a command center here. First order of business to I.D. Corey's partner/killer. So you'll conduct field interviews with the other passengers on the bus." Grey tells us
"Do we think Corey's killer is operating alone now?" Talia asks
"No. We think there's one more, a local who picked him up at the bus station." Russo says
"So, okay, this is extremely sensitive. We can't risk the news getting out and causing a panic. That being said, you can warn your immediate families to stay away from populated areas, but no details. Understood? All right. Let's go get these guys." Grey says
Several officers are making calls as they leave the room en masse.
"Mom, it's only for you and Dad, okay? You can't tell anybody else." Lucy says on the phone
"No, I re- I really can't say anything else." Tim says on the phone
****
West and I get in out shop and prepare to go on patrol.
"You gonna call Wesley?" West asks me
"I want to. But I don't know if I can trust him to keep it quiet." I say
"Really?" West asks
"Yeah, this is the kind of civil liberties issue he gets on his soapbox about." I tell him
"Yeah, but how would you feel if something happens and you didn't warn him?" West says and I sigh and call him
"Hey, it's me. I'm afraid I can't get together this afternoon. Something came up. Yeah, I'm disappointed, too. Uh, I'll call you later." I say and end the call and say to West "I couldn't risk it."
****
West and I are walking back to our shop after canvassing another neighborhood.
"Well, that was a bust." West says
"Yeah, most people are at work." I tell him
Wesley pulls up in his car and speaks to us through the open window.
"Hey. What's going on? Awful lot of cops around." Wesley asks
"I'm not really at liberty to say." I tell him
"Seriously? This is my neighborhood. If something's going on, I deserve to know." He tells me
"Okay. But you have to keep it quiet. You can't tell anyone else." I tell him
"Sure." Wesley says
"We're trying to stop a terror attack. We believe one of the terrorists lives around here. So you should evacuate, maybe even get out of the city. Okay?" I ask
"No, not okay. So far from okay. Why haven't you issued a warning or an evacuation? People have the right to know." Wesley says
"We can't, okay? 'Cause it would cause a panic and alert the terrorists that we're on to them." I tell him
"That's not your call to make." Wesley says
"This is why I didn't tell you in the first place. Because I knew you were gonna get on your high horse -" I was talking until Wesley interrupted me
"High horse? This is about basic civil liberties, guys." Wesley tells us
"Give me your phone." I tell him and pluck his phone off his dashboard
"What?" Wesley asks
"I'm placing you under arrest." I tell him
I reach in and unbuckle his seatbelt, then open the car door to get him out of the car.
"Wait. What for?" He asks
"Violation of public order. Come on." I tell him
"This isn't gonna hold up in court." Wesley says
"Doesn't have to. But you're incommunicado until this is resolved. Come on." I tell him and cuff him and put him in the back seat of the shop
"You sure about this?" West asks me
"No." I answer
****
Grey, Talia and John, and me and West are searching for the suspect. Wesley is still in the back seat of my shop.
"Feds are pulling resources from all over the Southland. All major roads heading to LAX are being monitored. So while the airport is shut down, we'll provide support at assigned checkpoints on Century and Sepulveda Boulevards." Grey says on the radio
"7-Adam-07, copy. En route to Sepulveda checkpoint." I say into the radio
"You're seriously gonna keep me in this car all night?" Wesley asks me
"You're the one that wanted to spend more quality time together." I tell him
"Sir, this operation's moving at a million miles an hour. And these checkpoints were determined by someone who has definitely not tried to make a last-minute flight at LAX." John says
"We're not running point on this. We all have orders to follow. Including me." Grey says
"Yes, sir. But there is a hole in the perimeter that only an L.A. native or a rookie patrol officer who's painstakingly studied every street in this city would know." John says
"He's right. There are back roads off La Cienega. Our guy would know that." I say
"Sir, even with the airport shut down, there'll be thousands of people waiting there. If these two guys get through -" John was saying until Grey interrupted him
"All right, let's do it. Control, this is 7-L-20. Show us diverting to La Cienega, and reroute an airship over there. Eyes out for a blue sedan." Grey says
****
"Be advised. Suspect vehicle spotted on Centinela, heading south onto La Cienega. California license Victor, 5, Bravo, Uniform, 9, Foxtrot, 7." Airship says
"Up ahead. Blue sedan. That's him. Control, 7-Adam-15, we are in pursuit of suspect." Talia says
"7-Adam-07 joining pursuit." I say
"7-L-20 on your 6:00." Grey says
Throughout the following we see street-level and aerial shots of the blue car being pursued by several patrol cars, which use standard strategies to try to stop or divert the suspect.
"Hang on." John says and swings around a corner at high speed then asks Talia "You all right?"
"Mm-hmm. Stay on him." Talia says
"Trying." John tells her
"All units, be advised, Airship One disengaging from pursuit. Suspect vehicle has entered a no-fly zone. Go get him." Airship says
John manages to PIT the blue sedan. Surrounded by police cars, the two suspects inside start firing at the cops, who return fire.
"Shots fired. La Cienega and Hill." Grey says into the radio
One of the suspects grabs a bag and lays down covering fire to prepare for escape.
"Jimmy! Jimmy! Jimmy, run! Run!" Mitchell says
He and Jimmy run away from the car into a semi-residential area, as the cops continue to fire on them. Russo and her backup arrive to join the pursuit. She runs to join John and Talia.
"They're running! Ready?" John asks
"Yeah, let's go." Russo says
"Control, 7-L-20. Suspects are on foot heading east. We need a five-block perimeter set up. And send Hazmat units to lock down this area for containment." Grey says
The two suspects split up; John leads the chase after Jimmy and me and West go after Mitchell.
"This way!" John yells
Mitchell jumps into a bus that's parked at a stop. He has the backpack and an automatic weapon.
"Nobody move!" Mitchell yells at them
"Hey, hey, hey!" The bus driver yells at him
"Everybody down! Get down!" Mitchell yells at everybody
He fires into the air and the passengers scream and cower. West has followed and catches sight of Mitchell through the bus window.
"He's on the bus with the virus!" West says
I had stopped to get a rifle from the trunk.
"Sophia, it's too dangerous." Wesley tells me with a worried face
"We have to." I tell him and turn to West and ask "Ready?"
"Everybody down!" Mitchell yells
West and I crouch on the steps into the bus. Mitchell rummages in the back of the bus, extracts another backpack, and falls into a seat.
"All I need is a shot." I tell West
"I'll get you that." West says
"Down! Nobody move." Mitchell tells everyone
West starts to approach Mitchell, moving slowly down the aisle, as I remain mostly hidden in the stairwell, waiting for a clear shot.
"Get outta here. Go, go" West says to the passengers then talks to Mitchell. "Dude, let's talk about this. Hey! Hey! Don't do that. You don't need to do that."
Mitchell has pulled a mist bottle out of the bag.
"Let me go, or I'm gonna infect everybody on this bus!" Mitchell says
"If I let you go, you'll infect a hell of a lot more people." West tells him
"Yeah. None of them are gonna be you!" Mitchell says
"Damn. That's some straight shooting right there. Appealing to my sense of self-preservation. But here's the thing: I made my peace with dying when I got on this bus. So I'm coming over there and I'm arresting you." West says
He's been slowly advancing on Mitchell, his back to me, and I finally see my chance to shoot Mitchell and I do.
"Aah!" Mitchell yells
"Clear!" West yells then says to the passengers "Go, go!"
"Off now! Off the bus!" One of the passenger yells
"Go, go, go, go!" I tell them
The passengers flee, leaving me and West with Mitchells body. West feels a shallow, bleeding scrape on his neck.
"Did you shoot me?" West asks me
"Just a little." I tell him
"I guess you're screwed. Rules clearly say that if you shoot your rookie, then you can't hand him off to another T.O." He says and I roll my eyes
"7-Adam-07, show Code 4 at our location, suspect down." I say into the radio
****
I am talking to Wesley, who sits in the shop, as I uncuff him.
"Any chance we can kiss and make up? Or can I expect a lawsuit?" I ask him
"Oh, up until about 20 minutes ago, I was drafting it in my head. But then you risked everything, got on that bus, and saved those people." Wesley says
"You got a little turned on." I say knowingly
"No. Okay, yeah, maybe a little. It made me realize that I was a little shortsighted earlier. Maybe I didn't actually know best what should happen in that situation." Wesley says
"So, we're good again?" I ask him
"Again. Does it seem like we fight a lot?" Wesley then asks
"Definitely. But I think it's our thing, you know? Like some couples swing dance or go to Disneyland." I say
****
There's a decontamination tent attached to the house; Lucy emerges from it into the sunshine to find John, West and me.
"Hey. I heard you guys saved the day." Lucy says
"It was a group effort." West says
"Glad you're okay." John tells her
"Me too. I-I mean that you're okay, too." Lucy says
"How's Tim?" I ask
"I think he's gonna be all right." Lucy says
"That's good news." John says
"What now?" West asks
"24-hour observation at the CDC." Lucy says
Tim emerges from the tent, escorted by two people in hazmat suits, and heads for their vehicle.
"I'll bet my pension he just told doctors "Tim Bradford does not ride in a wheelchair."" I say
""Only way I'm leavin' out of here is on my own two feet."" Talia says
"Don't you guys have paperwork to finish?" TIm asks
"He's back." Lucy says
"Yeah, he is." I say
"So stubborn." Talia says
Tim steps slow, he stands for a moment, then falls to the ground, unconscious, as the med team jump to help him and the rookies try to get close.
"Officer Bradford!" Morgan says
"Tim!Officer Bradford!We need an ambulance!Tim, what happened?What's wrong?Everyone, stay back.Tim!Somebody call help." Cops and Medics say
****
A/N: Hey everybody! I know that I posted this already but I just wanted to say that I will not be posting anymore chapters on here until I get back from a visit to my family and I will be visiting my family for two weeks but I you guys want me to, I can post one or two chapters to my Bellamy Blake or Chase Davenport either one it is up to you guys but I leave Saturday so, yeah. Have a great day or night! Sorry for the late post.