Agents Universe

This occurs immediately after Reluctant Teamwork - The London Outbreak Part 4

09:03 OfficerJasonFrank: I was stressed, stressed as hell. And when I get stressed, I want to work out, push myself as hard as I can. That's why I'm in the gym this morning, even though it would normally be a rest day.

I laid down underneath the bench press, my sweaty hands gripping the bar. With a grunt, I slid the 300 pounds of iron off the rack, held it steady over my chest, and lowered the weight, gathering my strength, feeling my chest and triceps burning as my tough steel-cabled cop muscle flexed to it's max, slamming the heavy weight back up, requiring all my concentration and discipline to control the heavy weight.

Sweat soaked my NYPD t-shirt, plastering it to the thick contours of my powerful body. A body built to defend the city. A body I took great pride in.

While I was focused on the intensity of pushing my body to it's limits, I didn't have any bandwidth left to worry about the man that I loved more than anyone else I'd ever met. Aaron Mitchell.

I'd gotten the call from Wayne only a few hours ago that Aaron was missing, under mysterious circumstances just outside his flat. My reaction had been intense... rage, helplessness, regret, fear. I wanted to be by his side. Needed to be by his side. I didn't give a fuck that we weren't 'boyfriends' anymore. We'd been through the fire together, and we'd been there for each other. But I couldn't be there for him now.

I couldn't leave the US right now, my fucking passport was right in the middle of getting renewed. I couldn't travel, otherwise I'd have been on the next flight to London. So instead... I threw my rage and anxiety at the iron. Pushed myself to exhaustion. Then, I noticed the time. I needed to head down to the station to meet my new partner.

My old partner, James, had gotten transferred to another precinct. That was fine with me. We had a decent professional relationship, but we hadn't ever really bonded very well.

Turns out that due to my seniority and experience, I was going to be saddled with a greenhorn, a total rookie fresh from the Academy. Oh joy.

Still, it was my duty. And maybe the stress of training up a new cop would temporarily keep my mind off the agony of Aaron's disappearance.

After I got off shift later on, I'd set up a meeting with Randall Myers, the arrogant, handsome, former CIA man who had helped me out when it was a tight spot. Not sure there was much he could do... but I had to try something. I'd tried to call David, but he was on deployment, and wasn't responding to calls just now.

I racked my weights, and stood up. I stretched off, then dripping sweat, walked back to the locker room. I stripped naked, and headed into the showers, not even bothering with a towel. I was too tired to care. I caught a few looks directed my way as my package swung on display. Thick tattoed, combat-forged police-trained muscle topping it all off.

If I was less worried, I might even want to check out who was giving me a stare. But I wasn't in the mood just now. I showered, letting the hot water wash off the sweat while I kept breathing through the knot of anxiety clenching my guts. Sometimes, especially times like these, I wondered if I shouldn't have said fuck it... and left New York, moved to London to be with him.

But New York was my home... and I loved it so much that I became a Cop to protect my home, putting my life on the line every day to keep it safe. How could I leave here? But fuck, I loved Aaron so much. it was a tough spot to be in.

I threw on my jeans and a red polo shirt, laced up my black boots, and headed out. The station was only a few blocks away. I walked down the street, looking up at the towering blocks of steel and glass on either side, some lower brownstones across the road, the streets full of honking taxis, a river of people flowing by on the sidewalk. Street vendors shouting out their hotdogs and magazines, dirty and otherwise.

This was New York. My home. Then why did I miss Aaron so much?

I entered the station, and headed to the lockerroom, dropping my heavy rucksack on the bench, opening my locker, and pulling out my uniform, switching into my black uniform trousers, slipping on my wifebeater, and shrugging into my black uniform shirt over the top. I didn't put my body armor on, not yet anyways.

First, I had to meet the greenhorn. I adjusted my badge, tucked in my shirt, secured my tactical belt, checked that everything was in place, my Glock, nightstick, mace, taser, knife, cuffs, radio. I looked myself over in the mirror, adjusted my cap, then turned.

I nodded at a few of the men, but they all caught my mood, I wasn't up for chit chat just now. I sighed once, then squared myself up, realizing that I needed to make a decent impression on the young rookie who was going to be my new partner, then headed down the hall towards the conference room where he would be finishing his induction.

18:09 Aiden_Fletcher: I finished the police academy two weeks ago, followed by a two week vacation in Daytona Beach to celebrate passing out of the academy and then back to work.

First day nerves weren’t much on show. I had arrived early, made sure everything was polished and shined up and ready to go. And I’d arrived early and made sure that I was caffeinated up ready to start the day.

I’m the only one in the parade room as I had been the first to arrive while waiting on everyone else. Originally from Boston I’m Boston Irish and moved to New York a couple of years ago after college heading to the police academy half a year ago. And it’s going to be an interesting day.

08:58 OfficerJasonFrank: I open the door to the parade room, and look around. I'm a few minutes early, but even so, there is one other man in the room. Wrenching my mind away from the stress I'm struggling with, I switch into "work" mode, focus on the here and now.

I give him a second, deeper, searching look. He's young, and his uniform, badge, and everything else about him is polished to a bright shine.

He's young, early twenties, and very good looking. He doesn't seem particularly nervous. This must be the new rookie I'm getting paired with.

I start to walk towards him, giving him a friendly nod, when the door opens again, and the Sergeant enters, looking us over, and speaking up, before heading up to the front of the parade room. "Jason, this is Aiden. Officer Aiden Fletcher. He'll be working as your partner during his probation period."

My suspicion confirmed, I stride over to him and offer him my hand, "Aiden. Jason Frank."

I give him a warm smile, and to break the ice a bit, I give him a bit of ribbing, "Careful now, when we head outside. Might end up blinding some innocent bystander with all that shine." He had really done a good number polishing his badge and boots, and everything in general. I approved.

10:31 Aiden_Fletcher: I smile as the big guy and the sergeant come in the room. "Thank you," my accent is fairly light, it's not overly heavily Bostonian.

"Nice to meet you Officer Frank," I put my hand out to shake his hand. "Glad to be working with you. Looking forward to learning what I can."

I look down at my uniform. "Just following what's in the handbook. You think it's okay. I was worried getting the metro from Brooklyn getting dirty."

10:58 OfficerJasonFrank: I shake his hand firmly, "You look great Aiden. Frankly, I'm impressed that managed to keep your shine after a metro ride all the way from Brooklyn. You have some serious skills." I smile at him, to put the handsome young rookie at his ease.

then turn to the duty Sergeant, "Sarge, if you don't mind I'll take Aiden with me and we'll get started. He can experience the joy of a parade inspection tomorrow."

Absently, the Sergeant nods us on. "Follow me, Aiden. We'll jump right into it, starting with this week's beat. This first week, we are on foot, here in Manhattan. Next week, we'll take out a patrol car and work the Bronx. Here in New York, a lot of the essential patrols are still done on foot, especially in Manhattan."

I lead Aiden to the locker room, "I assume you've been assigned your locker already? IF the admin staff have gotten their act together. Sometimes they aren't always on the ball." I open up my locker, and take out my body armor. I unbutton my uniform shirt, and shrug into my armor, then put my shirt on over it, re-buttoning it and adjusting my badge and radio.

I turn to Aiden, "Ready? All your equipment in order?"

11:52 Aiden_Fletcher: I smile and head over to the other side of the bench to another locker and open it up. "Yeah I got a pack with locker key, and details etc... that turned up last Friday and I had a call on Zoom with the HR guys."

Taking off my shirt, I pull on the body armour and then put my shirt back over it, and then my jacket, with my badge on top of it. "They don't quite prepare you for how heavy these things are. Think it's going to take a bit of getting used to."

I take my gun from the locker and put it in it's holster and put my nightstick on the other side. "All in order, sir."

"Foot patrol across Manhatten... it'll take some time to learn the routes, it's a huge place. Do we have designated areas to patrol here?"

12:26 OfficerJasonFrank: I check out Aiden, as he finishes putting his body armor on, and re-adjusting his uniform. "Trust me Aiden, you'll get used to it. After a few weeks of walking the beat in your body armor, you'll be fit as fuck. Consider it one of the perks of the job. And when things get hot, that armor could save your life."

I nod, checking out his tactical belt, making sure he's got all his equipment in place. I nod and signal him to follow me as we navigate our way out of the station to the street. "The city is divided up into patrols, some of them on foot, some in squad cars. Today, we have an easy one to kick off your new career. We'll be walking roughly a circle from the end of central park, down Lexington Avenue, past the Chrysler Building, then back towards the park on 6th avenue. The worst thing we'll have to worry about is helping some frantic tourist locate their kid. Should be easy. And..."

I wink at him, "There are a couple of great lunch spots on the way. Gotta stay fueled."

As we head off towards Lexington Avenue, I keep a close eye on Aiden, wanting to check out his sense of situational awareness, is he scanning the crowd, is he taking in his surroundings adequately so he can react to trouble before trouble finds him.

14:01 Aiden_Fletcher: "It's not being unfit, I grew up in a small fishing village in Cape Cod, about 70 miles outside of Boston, and we got around a lot on foot around there. Sadly don't think surfing and fishing are going to be much use in New York."

I'm not scanning around to the level that Jason is, it's just not in my nature to do that yet, I am keeping an eye out, but it's not anywhere near the same level.

"This place is expensive to live in I noticed, when I moved here it's not cheap at all, even in Brookyln it's cheaper but not cheap.. you can get whole blocks in Cape Cod for the same price as a flat here you know."

"Do your tourists lose their kids often, suppose it being a big city. Also pickpocketers?"

14:26 OfficerJasonFrank: I listen as Aiden begins to open up a bit. I find myself liking him. He's respectful, and friendly. Let's just hope that he had a core of toughness behind his polite exterior. He'll need it if he's gonna make it as a Cop in New York. I have no doubt his mettle will be tested before long. This is New York, after all.

"Spoken like a true newbie. Trust me pal, New York has it all, including fishing and surfing. You'll have to check out the beach at Fort Tilden, just a stone's throw from Brooklyn, across Jamaica bay."

I keep an eye on him, even as I scan the crowds quickly and carefully, having learned over the years what to look for, the warning signs spelling danger.

He'll learn in time. I nod at him as we keep walking. "Yep, this city, she ain't cheap, especially not on a Cop's salary, but she's worth it Aiden, trust me. She grows on you real fast."

I look over at him with an approving glance, "Shrewd. Yep, you are right. In these crowds of tourists, pickpockets are rife. You have to learn what to watch for..." And then, as if on cue, just about 20 feet ahead, I catch sight of someone who has that certain look in their eye, as though they are checking the crowd out rather than minding their own business. You learn the signs.

I point him out to Aiden, "Watch that fellow there." He turns a corner, and I pick up my pace to catch him, following him.

Then, I watch him as he bumps into a Japanese tourist, camera in hand, taking pictures of the skyline. He apologizes profusely, and I just catch the deft movement of his hand as it darts towards the tourist's pocket, snatching something while he distracts his mark. "Did you catch that Aiden? That's one of their oldest tricks. Pretend to accidentally bump into someone, then use the distraction to pick their pocket. I tell you what. Why don't you handle this? I'll be right behind you, backing you up. You up for that?"

Time for the kid to learn.

15:45 Aiden_Fletcher: I continue to watch the pickpocket and turn and start to head towards him picking up some speed. This is where TV shows tend to go wrong, they have the policeman start shouting at the suspect while being half a mile away.

I head through the crowd, moving people aside after the pickpocket, before he turns slightly and notices me coming and then starts running . I smile, my first ever foot chase through Manhattan and start to chase after him. I'd even spent time wearing my new boots in for just this occasion.

"STOP POLICE!"

17:26 OfficerJasonFrank: I quietly approach the Japanese tourist, ready to explain the situation, while keeping an eye on Aiden.

Oh he's good. He's a natural. He doesn't shout right away, he doesn't give himself away, not until he's been spotted. Well, time to see what Aiden was made of.

11:16 Mickey_Larson: I whistle to myself, pocketing the wallet as I quickly make my way through the crowd, unobtrusively picking up speed, in case my mark finds out that he's missing something, I want plenty of bodies between me and him.

And the first rule of pick pocketing... never look back. But sometimes rules are meant to be broken. I hear a slight commotion behind me, people being shoved aside, and I turn...

My jaw drops open. FUCK... It's a fucking pig!!! I leg it, running full on through the streets with that fucking cop shouting at me to stop.

I'm a pro at this, snaking and worming my way in all the gaps and spaces in the crowd, flowing though them in my haste to get away. There's an alley about 30 yards up ahead, if I can make it to the alley, I can outrun the fucker and lose myself in the maze of alleys between the buildings. I know this part of the city like the back of my hand.

10:52 Aiden_Fletcher: Running I don't mind, it's fine, where I live there is a lot of open spaces, and I always liked sports, football in high school, swimming, surfing, so my cardio was absolutely spot on. Sports were a lot more interesting than most of the high school lessons anyway, and I was better at it than being academic.

So running through a crowd wasn't worrying, besides most people were moving out of the way which is always a good sign, considering if I were to hit them head on it would probably severely injure them with the weight behind me of my body armour.

I follow him, gaining slightly as I follow him through the crowd, as he turns into the alleyway and I turn and follow behind him, slamming into the alley as I sharply turn hitting the wall as I turn, scuffing my nice newly shined boots as I head down the alleyway losing only a couple of seconds.

I don't waste breath or energy by shouting at him, he knows I'm following him. But I don't know these streets, outside of a map of Manhattan which I'd read.

11:23 OfficerJasonFrank: I turn to the tourist and tell him to stay put, then sprint after Aiden. Thankfully, he has done the hard work of clearing a path through the crowd. And he's fast, despite all the heavy body armor he's wearing, he is hauling ass. I'm impressed at his fitness and speed.

I don't want to let him get out of my sight, but I also want to let him take the lead on this. I pour on the speed, watching as the suspect darts down an alleyway, with Aiden actually gaining on him as he turns down the alley.

I swear under my breath. Those fucking alleys are labyrinthine, and no matter how good Aiden is, he doesn't know the city, and definitely not the alleys hereabout. I pour on more speed.

11:16 Mickey_Larson: I spare a quick glance over my shoulder, and he's gaining on me!!! FUCK FUCK FUCK.. What the hell? Is that fucking pig some kinda track star or some shit? Why the hell doesn't he eat more donuts???

I sprint down the alley about 30 yards, then cut a sharp right, leaning into my turn, the graffitti covered walls on one side, and a line of dumpsters overflowing with reeking garbage on the other. I need to lose this bastard... just up ahead, there's a door leading into a warehouse. The door is never fucking locked. I don't even look behind me, but slam into the door, yanking it open and bursting through into the dark interior

12:00 Aiden_Fletcher: I turn around into the alleyway and slam again into the wall, turning is much harder in this body armour, and I slam into the graffiti'd wall and look down the maze of alleyways and can't see the guy at all.

"FUCK!" I stand there getting my breath as I look down the alleyway and kick the dumpster as I see Jason coming up behind. "Lost him!" I kick the dumpster again. "He could have gone anywhere, boss."

12:28 OfficerJasonFrank: I turn the corner leaning hard, counterbalancing the weight of my body armor with a skill built up over years of running in the heavy armor so I don't bounce off the wall.

There, ahead of me I see Aiden, cursing, looking down a side alley. I catch up to him, my breathing heavy, but not overly laboured, thanks to my fitness.

I speak up quickly, calmly, reassuring him, in between measured breaths "Nah, he couldn't have gone far. This alley leads to a dead-end after it turns the corner up ahead. He'll be hiding somewhere around here, probably in one of these warehouses and loading docks. They'll know which doors are routinely left unlocked, just for situations like this. There aren't that many doors on this bit of alley, so it's time to use your brains, boy. Go on, you lead, let's see if you can find out where he might be hiding."

This was really an ideal training situation for my young rookie. Couldn't have planned it better myself.

13:03 Aiden_Fletcher: I hadn't known about the dead end, and I start taking a look around and checking the warehouse doors as I walk down the alleyway, until I find one that is unlocked, by turning the handle slightly.

"Yeah.. I just assumed he'd gone down another alleyway, boss."

As I open the door it's dark inside and as trained, I pull out my gun and my flashlight pointing both in the building. "Police... We know you're in here.. just fucking come out."

Under my breath I add "little shit"

13:48 OfficerJasonFrank: I follow Aiden closely as he makes his way down the alley, trying each door in turn. I feel myself start to shift into the zone... senses sharpening, awareness and focus rising, it's just a pickpocket, nothing too dangerous, but you don't become a senior patrol officer in the NYPD by being complacent.

I watched carefully as he gently tried each door, then found one that was open, entering in.

11:16 Mickey_Larson: My breath is fucking heaving, my chest rising and falling like a bellows. Damn, I'm outta practice. Gotta get more fit.

It's pitch black in here, but no one is around. Course not. In New York, all the deliveries happen at night. I gotta find someplace to hide till the coast is clear but where?

I wait a few moments, letting my eyes adjust to the dim light seeping in through the cracks, and spy a ladder on the wall next to the door. Quickly I scurry up it, to a low catwalk that runs the length of the wall. The floor of the catwalk is solid. I should be safe here. I hunker down, not far from the door, and wait.

Just when I think the coast might be clear, the door opens. I can see a light stabbing into the warehouse and the pig's voice demanding that I come out. Like fuck I will. I stay as quiet as a mouse.

15:24 Aiden_Fletcher: I look around the warehouse, he may have come in here, but it would be difficult to find him if he has, on the grounds that it wasn't an empty warehouse, but the rest of the building was dark, and that meant that there weren't any open doors anywhere.

"He may be in here boss," I say quietly. "We'd have to search it though, are we allowed to, don't we need a warrant to go into a premise to start searching?"

09:22 OfficerJasonFrank: I come up behind Aiden, on full alert, ears straining to hear any sound through the open door. I nod, appreciating the cautious approach Aiden is taking. That's a good survival skill for a beat cop.

His question, though, makes me think that he favors brawn a bit more than brains. I smile gently at him, "These are what is known as 'exigent circumstances', boy. We are in hot pursuit of a man suspected of committing a crime, we are within the law to pursue him through private property. When you get off shift, study up on your criminal law. Here, let me go first."

The danger level has just ramped up to the level past what I'd ask a rookie fresh from the academy to face. He might be only a pickpocket, a dirty little fucking rat, but cornered rats are the most dangerous kind.

I take out my own flashlight and Glock, leading the way in, "Follow me." Then, in a loud voice, I speak up as I walk through the door, "C'mon on out. Make this easy for yourself. Trust me, you don't wanna piss us off."

11:16 Mickey_Larson: FUCK FUCK FUCK ... They are coming inside... FUCKING COMING INSIDE. Why don't they give up already? I cower back wondering how the hell I'm gonna get out of this. I don't wanna go to jail. FUCK GOING TO JAIL.

Maybe... Maybe I could jump 'em... threaten one of 'em into letting me go?

Got no other options. My heart is pounding like a drum as I inch forward to the edge of the catwalk. A big pig walks into view, then without stopping to think, I throw myself off the ledge, dropping in his fat ass like a ton of bricks, lashing out like a wild animal, trying to get my scrawny arms wrapped around his neck.

11:16 Aiden_Fletcher: I should have known that, and mentally shouted at myself for not knowing it . "Yes, boss." I say as I follow him into the building.

I'm a little surprised though when the guy I had been chasing jumps down onto Jason's back. I hadn't been expecting that and for a brief second was confused by what had happened, because training only goes so far, and this is my first actual experience of this happening.

But it only takes a couple of seconds before I jump onto the guy on Jason's back and put my arms around his neck in a sleeper hold. "Think you can fucking run away from me, hey...." trying to pull him back and away from Jason.

"You okay boss?" I say as I slam my knee into the guy's back. Probably a bit more excessive force than was actually needed. But it was my first actual fight outside of the academy.

11:47 OfficerJasonFrank: Suddenly, a heavy weight slams into my back. I let out a grunt of shock and pain, as someone scrambles to wrap their arms around my neck, but I don't panic. Instead, with professional calm, precision and speed, I shove my left arm, flashlight in hand close to my neck, my fight training responding instantly to the threat, letting me block the choke. I need my hand free to deal with this properly, so I holster my Glock and reach up, preparing to pull this fucker off me.

I'm just about ready to heave forward and toss this rat off me when Aiden finally moves in to help me.

11:16 Mickey_Larson: Oh FUCK ME FUCK ME. This is a fucking gorilla... He ain't one of the chubby donut chucking piggies, he's all swole and shit..

Panicking, I try to get my arm locked around his neck, scrambling to wrap my legs around him, but he blocks me, and suddenly the other piggie is on me, and his arms lock around my neck. I squeal in terror and fright, kicking wildly as he pulls me off the big brick shithouse, slams me down to the floor and drives his knee into my back, right over my kidneys. Feels like a fucking sledgehammer.

A savage white-hot ball of pain rips through my back and kidneys, making me piss my pants.

I let out a scream of fear, pain and rage, mouthing off, "FUCKING PIGS!!! GONNA MAKE YOU FUCKING PAY!!!"

10:22 OfficerJasonFrank: I turn around, to see the little street rat locked in a sleeper, Aiden's knee pinning him down right in the middle of his back.

I give him a quick thumbs up. "Just fine Aiden, thanks for the help. That's why we don't patrol alone. Number one rule, you watch my back, and I'll watch yours. Nice technique there by the way."

He was a bit slow in getting his ass in gear, but this is not the time to berate or criticize his performance.

We can go over this encounter later in more detail. The important thing was that once he got over his shock, he moved quickly and decisively to counter the threat. I sniffed... Hmmm... the little rat pissed himself.

I grinned, "Go ahead Officer Aiden, proceed with the arrest. I'll get us some wheels to take him to the slammer." I call in on my radio, "Dispatch, 7321 Frank, reporting a 10-92. Send a vehicle to collect suspect. 22 Lexington Avenue."

13:54 Aiden_Fletcher: "Cheers boss, High School Wrestling," I say as I pull the guy to his feet and slide my handcuffs onto him. I go into his jacket ignoring his squirming and pull out the wallet and toss it over to Jason.

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you." I say to the guy.

"I believe this is the tourists, probably need it as evidence, but can we give them a card so they can pick it up when it's been processed?"

I look over at Officer Frank. "My first arrest, after only an hour... that's got that out of the way at least."

14:16 OfficerJasonFrank: I chuckle slightly, and catch the wallet as Aiden tosses it to me. He cuffs the suspect quickly and efficiently, and reads him his miranda rights like an old pro.

I nod at Aiden, "Yep, we'll invite the tourist to come down to the station and get all the evidence sorted. If he doesn't want to, we'll let him know where he can pick up his wallet. Let's get this fuckwad out to the street. Vehicle will be here to take him to the station in a few minutes. Don't want to dally. I'm getting fucking hungry, and one of my favorite pizzerias is just up ahead, across from the Chrysler building."

This is old hat to me. Nothing to get excited about. Besides, this little adventure and the chance to work with a rookie has kept my mind off of Aaron, for a little while at least.

I walk over and grab the suspect by one arm, letting Aiden grab the other, turning to smile at him. "Hey kid, this is New York City. Things move fast here. Your first hour, your first arrest, your second hour you'll be dealing with your first armed robbery."

We walk the suspect out to the street, and find the tourist who is right where I left him. I squared everything away with him, then a police cruiser pulled up, and I walked Aiden through all the paperwork to transfer the suspect and evidence over to the patrol car. Once that was all squared away, and the patrol car pulled off, I turned to Aiden, "All right, that's all taken care of. I think that deserves some lunch. Hope you like pizza. Lunch is on me." I grin at him. I know how totally crap a rookie cop's salary was.

17:38 Aiden_Fletcher: "Lets hope I don't get an armed robbery until next week, as you pointed out, I probably need to re-read some of the manuals on that before it happens."

"Lunch sounds good, and pizza sounds better. We don't get much pizza where I'm from, every other restaurant is a seafood restaurant, so I'm sick of seafood to be honest when it's half the food you eat when you're growing up."

I follow heading through the streets, keeping watch as I did so, it's very different actually being on the streets, rather than training in the academy, there's a lot you have to think about all at once rather than in small modules - it's putting together everything that I've been learning and having to deal with them all at the same time.

"Are you ex army or something, all the bodybuilding look on you, I mean. Don't look like the other guys."

18:04 OfficerJasonFrank: We head back down Lexington Avenue, my stride is at once easy and casual, and yet totally focused, as I take in every detail of the crowds as we walk, a skill I've learned over years of walking the beat, allowing me to converse with my partner and focus on my surroundings at the same time.

"The place I've got in mind does proper New York pizza, so you'd better like it. Or we'll have to kick you out of the city." I wink at him.

It's not far now, and luckily I don't spot any more pickpockets, at least none that are actively stalking a mark.

I chuckle at Aiden, when he mentions my bodybuilding look. "Nah, not ex-army. Though I've got plenty of pals that are..." My face grows shadowed for just a brief moment as I think of Aaron. "I grew up with a friend of mine who went into the Army Rangers. We've stayed close all these years. And I've become ... best friends ... with a London cop who is a former Para, a double tough special forces dude from England." Aaron... fuck... where the hell are you??

Then we enter the pizzeria. It's crowded with lunch time folks, but despite how busy it is, one of the waiters makes a beeline for me, "Ahh, Mr. Frank, please, come right over here, next to the window. I'll bring out your usual... two?" I nod, winking at Aiden. "Make that two, Frank."

I interrupt my train of thought to call out on my radio, "Dispatch, 7321 Frank, 10-63, Frank's Pizzeria, 410 Lexington Avenue."

Then, I turn back to Aiden, "Hope they let us finish our lunch, they don't always ya know." I grin at him, "Now where was I? Oh yeah.... No, not ex-army. Just a bit of a fanatic about keeping myself in tip-top shape. Been into BJJ and boxing since I was a kid. Not a bodybuilder, at least that's not my goal, but I guess I got good genes, and my training in the gym, on the mats, and on the street keeps the muscle packed on. What about yourself? Gotta say kid, you are a in fucking way better shape than a lot of the recruits I've seen. You mentioned wrestling, right? That's ace for being a cop."

09:54 Aiden_Fletcher: I take the pizza and move over to a table and sit down. "That was just in high school, I wasn't really into the lessons much but more into the sports. I come from a small touristy place outside of Boston in Cape Cod."

"So it's a small town, not much to do other than enjoy yourself. So I did wrestling and basketball in High School, did Football and Surfing when I was in college."

"Can't see surfing being that much use in the middle of Manhattan unless we get hit by a Sharknado or something."

"I don't really go to the gym much though, not like lifting weights and things, it's just not interesting to me, I get bored easily like that... I prefer interesting sports."

"I did a bit of track in high school, but... yeah I got bored of it, just running isn't really interesting. Plus it's the advantage of being 21 and not old like a lot of cops, I can still eat what I want and the weight stays off."

10:28 OfficerJasonFrank: The pizza came fast, Frank was good to me, and hungry as per my usual, I began to get stuck in as I listened to Aiden tell me a bit more about himself.

I nearly choked on my pizza when he mentioned a Sharknado, "Boy, watching shit like that will rot your brain."

I take another bite of pizza before responding, "Don't worry son, some day, IF you live long enough, you'll get like us 'old' cops. Gotta say though, don't have a lot of trouble maintaining my weight. Fresh air and constant exercise does wonders for keeping the weight off of even us old cops." My eyes are sparkling at his cheek, though he probably wasn't even aware of it. Typical 21 year old. Wet behind the ears.

I tweak him a bit more, want to find out if he can take some ribbing. "Sounds like you might need to get your ADD checked out, flitting from sport to sport like that. Classic sign." I smile at him to let him know I'm joking.

"So what made you choose to be a cop? It's thankless work and the pay is crap."

11:31 Boryslaw_Kowalczyk: I looked over my shoulder, giving the rest of my team a quick glance. All ten of them were clustered up behind me, dressed as workmen, with high visibility vests, hardhats, rugged blue jeans, and each one carrying a heavy duffle bag full of tools.

Maybe not the tools that the average passerby would assume, but they were none the less, tools of our trade. The line slowly crept forward as each person wanting to enter the Chrysler building passed through a metal detector.

Directly ahead of me was a wide-eyed, gawking tourist examining the impressive lobby with a look of awe on his face. Then, just before he walked through the metal detector he 'tripped', and suddenly fell flat on his face, screaming bloody murder, "My knee.... I broke my knee..."

The guard was flustered and radioed off for medical assistance. Meanwhile, the line starting building up and up, stretching down the street. The Chrysler building was a high traffic area.

The guard glanced over at me and my workmen, then at the growing line, finally he walked over and opened the gate used for wheelchairs, waving us on through. There had been renovations going on for a few weeks now, and workmen were a common sight. Nothing unusual. And me and my men were 'legitimate' workmen. He even recognized our faces, and he'd searched our toolboxes and duffel bags many times before.

We streamed past, the lot of us cracking jokes and bantering with each other. This would be too easy. As soon as we were past the security desk, we split up. Each team knew their job, and I had the utmost faith in their capabilities.

We were, after all, highly trained. Not even the much-vaunted US Navy SEALs have much to teach the Polish GROM. Well, former Polish GROM, I suppose.

13:30 Aiden_Fletcher: "It wasn't ADD, and for reference old man, it's ADHD now, and I'm not one of those snowflakes that require medication for everything." I smile at Jason. "I didn't move between them. I did two at High School and two different ones at college, because the frat house I was in was a football house and it was the best thing to do there."

"As for why I wanted to be a cop, well I wanted to get out of the fishing village I lived in, and move to somewhere a bit bigger. And while I wasn't going to play football professionally I wanted to do something else, and it was this or being a fireman.

"And frankly while the fire uniform is a bit better, and firemen are actually liked by the public, I didn't really like a load of the training when I looked at it. It was mostly carrying heavy objects - so I moved over to the police."

"I mean... Not having lived in New York for that long, not really had much time to know it, I moved here and then went to the academy not long after as I did all my entry papers back in Boston."

14:14 OfficerJasonFrank: I look at him in mock shock as he gives as good as he gets. "Well, boy, I guess I stand corrected. ADHD it is." I grin at him. "As for being liked by the public, well... I'll tell you what, you get to know the communities around here when you patrol on foot. The locals, especially the businessmen, appreciate a friendly cop. They know we're on their side. Take Frank there.." I nod my head over at the busy man behind the counter. "... he and I are old friends. A local gang tried to shake him down once for protection money, and my partner and I took care of it for him. The people here are good folks, by and large." I shrug.

"And I guess you'd rather wear a heavy object then try and carry one, I take it?" I hook my thumb in the body armor. "New York, she'll grow on you boy, just you wait."

I finished off my last bit of pizza, when my radio squawked. "7321 Frank, can you respond to a 10-52, 51st floor, Chrysler Building." I sigh, then look over at Aiden. "Looks like lunch is over Aiden. Back to the grindstone!" I reply in my radio, "Dispatch, this is 7321 Frank, will respond."

"C'mon, let's go. Probably two white collar types that found out his rival is fucking his wife, or some such bullshit." A 10-52 meant a minor dispute, without lethal weapons involved, a fist fight usually. I quickly grab a twenty dollar bill and slap it on the counter for Frank, calling back, "Keep the change pal."

I head out across the street, and there in front of us, was the Chrysler building, in all her Art Deco glory. "She's a beauty, ain't she kid? One of a kind."

I enter the lobby, and flash my badge at the security guard. He lets us both through the wheelchair access, then turns back to some poor idiot tourist holding his leg and screaming in pain, blocking the metal detector. I frown, but that's not why we were called here, and I'm sure he can handle it. Then, with a snarky grin, I look over at Aiden, "If we weren't responding to a call, I'd challenge you to a race up the stairs, all 51 flights of them. I bet this old man here would leave you in the dust."

11:31 Boryslaw_Kowalczyk: I headed up to the 50th floor, with my right hand man, Aleksy Gorecki. Our task was simple, sabotage each of the stairwells, save the southwest stairwell, which we would occupy.

We stepped out of the elevator, and quickly broke off, each of us carrying our duffel bag full of our tools. C4, among other things. Working quickly, we placed the shaped charges, then rendezvoused back in front of the elevator. There had been so many renovations going on on this floor that no one paid two workmen a second glance.

The other teams would be in place any minute now, and then we would pull this off. We had nothing to lose. Grzegorz had seen to that when we had been dishonorably discharged from the GROM. And now, he would pay. His firm, headquartered on the 51st floor, would soon be in our hands. And we would show that rich, over-privileged bastard no mercy.

15:18 Aiden_Fletcher: "They like a friendly cop here then, but they ended up with you, they must be so disappointed, boss." I smile as we head out of the building. "See.. only insult you AFTER you'd paid for my lunch."

"Yeah New Yorkers are friendly most of the time, I dated one for around a month, but I had to go to the academy, and discovered they were really into Black Lives Matter movement and didn't want to be near a cop... you know because we're all evil pigs."

As we cross the road and enter the Chrysler Building, I look around. "I mean... maybe... it's a bit old isn't it... could do with a lick of paint, and some of those sculptures modernising. Never been into old buildings, I'm a glass and metal type bloke, looks better, probably better on the heating bill as well."

"If you want to run up the stairs, that's fine... there's probably a form for it, I mean I know people your age are prone to heart attacks, and I wouldn't want to kill off my partner first day on the job... so lets get the elevator, okay... just in case your death from exhaustion reflects badly on me. I mean.. you're like my dad's age, and I don't think he could do 51 flights."

16:17 OfficerJasonFrank: I laugh at Aiden. He's okay, he might be young, but he can roll with us. "Yeah, you don't want to get on my bad side, boy."

I listen as he talks about the New Yorker he dated and Black Lives Matter. I shake my head in disgust, not bothering to hide my opinion on the matter.

"The problem with today's world, boy, is people have forgotten the basics of treating each other with decency and respect. That's why I love being a beat cop in New York. This city, it's a huge fucking melting pot. It teaches you to be color blind. You get to know the residents on your beat first hand, black, white, mexican, asian. They learn to trust you, and they don't see you as some faceless jackbooted stormtrooper, they see you as the local neighborhood cop that busts his ass to keep 'em safe. All the bullshit that's been going down over the past few years, is what we get when we lose sight of local policing. We lose that connection to the community we serve." It's clear I'm on my soapbox, and this is a heated topic for me.

Trying to step down off my soapbox, I ask casually, "If she thought you were an evil pig, then you are better off without her. You are young yet, and there's plenty of fish in the sea." I just assumed Aiden was into the ladies, though I realized he hadn't actually specified that.

As we head over to the elevator, I turn and give you an evil smile. "All right you mother fucking little shit, you want to race this old man up the stairs? You got it. Next time we are both off duty, we'll meet back here, and I'll fucking run your ass off, in full uniform, up the stairs to the 51st floor and back. I'll make sure and have an ambulance ready to give your sorry ass some CPR when you keel over."

The elevator dinged on the 51st floor, and I stepped off, shifting into work mode, radioing dispatch to let them know I'd arrived, then headed with Aiden into the reception area of a big office. There, a struggling man, well built, and hard muscled, evident even through his shirt, was being held down by several other workers, struggling and thrashing. Well, this was going to be fun.

11:31 Boryslaw_Kowalczyk: Finally, my radio squawked once, then twice. Everything was in place. The entire nearly century old skyscraper was rocked by a series of explosions .... one to take out the power and the back up power, disabling all the elevators and the security system. Then, another series of explosions took out the stairwells, all of them except for the southwest stairwell. The building swayed, and suddenly screams of panic began to echo through the ancient skyscraper.

It was go time. We'd go down in a blaze of glory. One last hurrah for our unit. One last mission... to deliver justice and vengeance to Grzegorz. That bastard would die, and die slowly, along with every one of his employees.

We opened our duffle bags, and me and Aleksy quickly unbuckled our tool belts, and strapped on tactical belts in their place, each belt already pre-loaded with several Glocks, some combat knives, some frag grenades, and a few other handy pieces of kit, and shoved on some body armor over our high vis jackets. Then, as the rest of the squad burst out of the door, only slightly out of breath, four of them stood guard over the stairwell. Dabrowski was the only one not with us, he was busy playing wounded tourist.

We headed up the stairwell, to the 51st floor, where Grzegorz's firm was headquartered.

17:18 Aiden_Fletcher: "You're on... I hope you spend some days off the pizza if you're going to do that. You're going to need all the energy."

"And yeah, my sex life is okay without anyone... there are a lot of fish in the New York Sea really. But I'm gay, so it was a guy, but it wasn't much of a loss if he didn't like my chosen career, but he was an older guy and I think he just wanted a cause to be part of. Loser."

I step out of the elevator and head over towards the reception and nod before heading over to the guy. "Hey... NYPD... what's going on here... let him up will you."

I'm about to say some other things when there is a massive explosion that knocks me off my feet and into the wall. The second set of explosions happen just as I'm getting up and I slam into the desk, some blood coming down my forehead as I had slammed into the corner of the reception desk.

"What the fuck."

And then the elevator we were on explodes as well and there is the sound of metal wires warping and of the elevator crashing down through the floors towards the ground.

"What the actual fuck," I say and turn to Jason. "Boss? What's going on." I have no idea what you're meant to do in a situation like this. Probably keep people calm, that's the right thing to do but I can't actually think too straight right now as frankly nothing had prepared me for a building to be exploding around me."

18:11 OfficerJasonFrank: I let Aiden take the lead again, this situation didn't seem very dangerous. I had filed the revelation that he was into men in the back of my mind to mull over. I'd never actually had a gay partner before. Especially not one that I was attracted to. It made me, once again, think of Aaron ... and Wayne.

But now was not the time to unpack that. I carefully observed Aiden as he dealt with the situation. I was just stepping up behind him when suddenly, there is a deafening sound of an explosion, and the building rocks as though it had been shaken like a giant hand.

All the lights go out, then I'm slammed into the wall beside Aiden, then another explosion throws me down to the floor. I grunt as I'm slammed into the carpet, a large potted plant smashes next to me, showering me with dirt and leaves. I stagger back up to my feet, hearing a grinding crash as the elevator car we were just on plummets down to the floor.

My training kicks in instantly, and the first thing I do is shove aside the rising sense of panic and fear, and focus, being in the moment here and now. Dealing with the situation in front of me.

There are people terrified and screaming, moaning all around us. I check out Aiden first, he's cut open his forehead, but he seems otherwise unharmed.

I can hear some of the rising panic in his voice, and I take charge right away to help head that off, keep his mind occupied and focused. "Not sure. But right now, I want you to check out these office workers and triage any injuries, administer first aid as needed. I'll call this in, and then I'll check the path to the stairwells, so we can begin to get these people evacuated. And Aiden.... stay calm. These folks are looking to us. You got this." I deliberately keep my own voice steady and calm, despite the backdrop of wailing, panicking voices.

Deep in my guts, I had a feeling I knew exactly what was going on. Every New Yorker's worst fear, since that fateful day when the Twin Towers collapsed. A terrorist attack.

I called in, "Dispatch, 7321 Frank, 10-66, Chrysler building. Multiple explosions, injuries, possible structural damage."

Then, I turned, and with a grim determination headed over to check out the nearest stairwell. When I opened the door, I stared down.... to a pile of mangled wreckage about 60 feet below. Well. Now I knew what had exploded.

11:31 Boryslaw_Kowalczyk: After the building stopped shaking, I gathered together my team mates. We all nod at one another, then race up the stairs to the south west corner of the 51st floor. This is the only staircase still standing. Just as we reach the landing, the door opens, and terrified office workers, some of the cut and bleeding, suddenly stop, mouths gaping as they see us.

Calmly, I pull out my Glock, and blow out the brains of the first man through the door. Then, I shout out, "IF YOU WANT TO STAY ALIVE THEN MOVE AWAY FROM THE STAIRS. HEAD TO THE CENTER OF THE BUILDING! NOW!"
09:56 Aiden_Fletcher: I slowly wipe the blood away from my face and I turn and look at the receptionist and help her up off the floor. "Hey... I'm going to need to know how many people are on this floor, we're going to need to gather them together, okay."

He looked at the ones who had been fighting. "Right now, you lot need to knock this off, we've got bigger problems here right now, and if we start working together I may look the other way on whatever altercation you were into, right."

As I'm talking, I hear the sound of gunshots, could be related to this, or could be someone getting scared, either way it's not a good thing. "Boss... gunfire other side of the building."

I turn to the others. "We'll find you all a way out of this, but we need to get everyone together, you got a conference room, or something we can get everyone to."

10:26 OfficerJasonFrank: I head back to the reception area, just in time to hear a gunshot, coming from the southwest corner of the building. I hear shouting and screaming.

This ain't good. Not good at all. The receptionist that Aiden helped shakily muttered out, "There's ... the ... cafeteria... down this corridoor, on the east side of the floor." Good thinking Aiden. The employee that had been held down and the ones holding him stood up, and fell in line.

I move up beside him, and speak up in a loud voice, "All right ladies and gentlemen, you heard Officer Aiden. Let's stay calm, and everyone start moving towards the cafeteria."

Suddenly, from the opposite corridor, a cluster of terrified people start streaming past, some of them are spattered with blood, I catch sight of mangled screams of 'terrorists' and shouts of 'they shot Ronald!'. My guts are churning. And my instincts are telling me to get into cover. I give a low bark, "Aiden!! Find cover, now.", before I dive behind the receptionist's desk.

Everyone starts to panic again. What a fucking nightmare. I wished for a moment, and not for the last time, that Aaron was with me. But instead... I had a young man fresh from the academy who had probably never been in a life or death situation. I had to trust that he was made of sterner stuff, or we might not survive this.

Published: 2021-11-14, viewed 41 times.