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Tank was about to let out a wry comment about the NSA keeping tabs on them like everyone else. However, when Gregory produced a bug as proof that the room wasn't safe, Tank shrugged and went about the room himself. He checked every nook and cranny he could, before his eyes fell on something that was very curious. He leaned down next to the window and found the rod that you could turn to open and close the blinds had a small sliver at the end of it, right before the base.

He ran his fingers over it, and deduced that it was detachable entirely. With a quick but silent jerk, he pulled it off and examined the bottom of the attachment. It looked to be a radio transmitter, from his limited knowledge in that area. He let out a sigh, dropped it to the ground and stepped on it casually. Nice try, he thought, and sniffed a chuckle at the expense of whoever was listening.

Suddenly his cellphone rang, cutting through the silence of the room like a knife. He answered it, and when he said aloud it was the Pizza guy downstairs, he imagined that was a relief to all who were listening. "Be right back." he told them, and headed downstairs to grab the Pizza. It was less than two minutes when he returned. It was a large Meat Lovers.

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@Dragoknighte - For Mali things seem pretty calm for now. The other cop is pulling away with his partner though they are still yelling at each other in the car - from her apartment she wouldn't be able to hear anything but it is clear that neither of them are happy. There is the new guy standing down on the steps of one of the buildings. The music keeps streaming but it is hiccuping a lot right now, as if the wifi is being slowed down or something. Just doesn't seem like your usual buffer issue but hey, as long as the song finishes eventually, it is okay? Right?

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Detective Gregory continued to search the room, a few more bugs were found and he watched as Tank disposed of one of them. He didn't exactly want the man to just crush one. Roy had taken care of the one in his phone but that could clone phones but those were a bit wider spread and just one, perhaps he shouldn't have because when Tank crushed another it made it obvious that the room was being cleaned for some reason or another and must have alerted those in control of the bugs. Those that had put them in place.

No one knew until it was too late, Tank had left the room to retrieve his meat pizza. Yet by the time he was coming back the vial that had been attached to Wallace's IC was draining into the floor. Thankfully Cecily had removed it but whoever was doing this had covered there bases. Gregory turning and seeing Wallace starting to convulse as his eyes snapped opened in horror and pain. The man flailed and Roy pushed passed Tank, knocking the pizza out of his hand - Bye bye Meat Lovers - it opening and spilling all out on the floor. Gregory's foot planting right into the hot cheese and sauce as he slipped out of the room, literally.

"We need a doctor!!" he yelled before his face planted into the wall across the hall and he groaned loudly. This was not his day. The nurse at the nurses station bolted over to the room as the alarms for the the vitals monitor went off. It was too late. The nurse arrived and slipped over the cheese, nearly toppling over the end of Wallace's bed as he flat lined. Righting herself she went to check him and stopped in her tracks as blood started to soak into the bed sheets from beneath his head. Pushing the pillow down the shine of many needles could be seen coming through the pillow and into the base of the mans skull and neck. He was gone.

Gregory stepped into the room, holding onto the door as he looked at Wallace's face, a trickle of blood coming from his lips. "Goddamnit...."

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Cecily glanced over at Tank, hearing the bug crush underneath his feet. She winced a bit, already thinking to herself what Professor Moriarty would have done. Gregory had already found more bugs in the room, one of them would have picked up on the sound of it being crushed. Biting her lip, she attempted to push it into the back of her mind. Gregory didn't seem to be freaking out about it, and Cecily knew she was a pessimist at heart. It'd be fine....Right?

The vial she held up started to drain onto the floor, and Cecily took a slight step back, glancing up at Gregory with a look of horror on her face. For a second, her mind went towards preserving what remained in there, in order to test it. But she decided against it -- there'd be trace amounts on the side of the vial, with any luck. And she had a bigger problem. Wallace started to scream, and for a mere moment, Cecily wanted nothing more than to melt to the floor and cry. She might have hated Wallace but now...Now she forgot her contempt for the man.

Rushing over to his side, Cecily desperately attempted to figure out what was wrong with him. Unfortunately, forensic technicians were never trained in the art of saving people. They dealt with the dead, leaving her absolutely clueless with the living. Biting down on her lip, she watched as the scene with the pizza unfolded, the dreaded bit of cheese and meat falling to the ground, creating the world's worst Slip N Slide.

"Sorry!" Cecily squeaked, moving out of the nurse's way. She bit her nails, watching as blood trickled out of Wallace, and her boss flatlined. Her eyes watered, and without stopping to explain herself at all, she began to cry. "I'm so sorry, Wallace...I'm so sorry...." Covering her face with her hands, she couldn't help but peak through her fingers, staring at the blood that flowed from his skull. This, this was all too much for her. Coroners weren't supposed to be murdered! Forensic technicians weren't supposed to be shot at! They were supposed to be removed from all of it, leaving the detectives and the cops in the line of fire!

Holding her own arms, Cecily glanced around the room, half expecting the Angel of Death to be there to collect Wallace's soul. Biting down on her lip hard, she attempted to stop her own tears, but failed to do so. The prospect of going back to her apartment terrified her, even with the gun she had hidden away. Nowhere felt safe anymore to her. Holding her arms tighter, her nails dug into her own skin, leaving little cuts. She didn't no what to do. She felt as useful as the trampled pizza on the ground.

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Caesar grabbed a post-it and a pen from around the terminal, carefully jotting down the case numbers. SGJFE-1432 and 4827-IB-861. "Doesn't look like numbers we use... ¿Policía?" He sighed. Sooner or later, he was going to have to get police involved. Even if it was to turn over what he had collected and wash his hands of this whole business, local law enforcement needed a nod, eventually. Considering that Queensguard logos were all over the boxes, and MSS was in charge of security for their facility here, they might make for potential scapegoats. A gesture of Good Faith might be necessary to keep them all from suspicion.

On the other hand, it was within the company's mandate to look out for their client's interests. While it might not be the most moral thing with which to be involved, it is what they did. Further, the older man's own history wasn't exactly a series of bake sales and puppy adoptions. He had killed. Brutally. Viciously. He had taken lives up close and personal, on contract from various entities and arcane bureaucracies, all for the sake of the eventual common good. In exposing these incidents and the people involved, he may very well be betraying his contractors and setting back a series of operations to which he simply hadn't been read into.

But why for fuck's sake wouldn't "They" read him in? His company was going to be on site, they would be right in the middle of the fireworks. He had clearance enough to be told to avoid certain things or allow certain people access. But he wasn't. That was a strike against the possibility that it was Agency or Bureau sponsored. Or Federale, for that matter. It was enough to make his head hurt. Why the hell was he looking into this so hard in the first place? It was Caesar's job to see to his company and look after Alicia and Lorna. This extra ... But that was why. People dying in Boston Heights. He didn't want his girls to be next. Find the trail, follow the trail, stop the killings.

While he wasn't as computer savvy as his daughter, Caesar was familiar with the ins and outs of his company's intranet. His next step was to save the footage viewed and tuck it away in some dark corner, hidden under something mundane but generally inaccessible.

A non-work point of discussion was raised, his M'hija mentioned that she had a game later that evening. While Caesar was aware of his daughter's new sporting activities, he had yet to witness it for himself. "Tonight, M'hija? ¿Que hora? I'm meeting with someone early this evening, but I want to see you play." The elder man bobbed his head and gave one of a very few natural, unfettered smiles at Alicia, saying, "Even if I'm hiding in the rafters like a Mexican Batman, hmmm?"

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"Sadly I don't roll that way." Riley said with a light laugh as she started to drive down the road as Ronni handed her back her phone, she set it down next to her and looked towards him for a moment and gave a slight nod. "I will, you do the same then." Riley told him as she continued driving, occasionally stopping at some red lights. She was nervous however doing something like this was out of her element when Ronni pointed out towards an ambulance loading up two body bags into the back she cringed slightly at the thought of it being her if she continued to stay in this city. "Yeah, I can see that living in this city it was probably a mistake for me moving to this city." Riley said with a slight shrug as the drive continued.

Riley looked towards Ronni when he took out a cigarette out and a lighter, she didn't mind him smoking in her car as she ran a hand through it. "Just make sure you just don't put any ash into the seats." As Riley drove closer towards their destination Riley would then pull up in the parking lot outside of the Roller Derby Rink. "I'll follow your lead." Riley said as she got out of her car and closed the door, once Ronni was out Riley locked it up.

Riley looked around once more staring at some of the shady looking people nearby she was nervous she wasn't sure if she would end up getting mugged, shot, or stabbed here. There were honestly rarely any people in town that she could even trust, other then Cecily and maybe Ronni as well who seemed like a nice guy.

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Throughout the entire ride to the hospital, Lucas kept his hand grasping Risa's, and his eyes on her. He refused to look away or let go, terrified that if he did she'd fade away, that each moment that passed could have been the very last moment he'd see her alive. The thought was eating at him, and forcing himself to keep it bottled up wasn't exactly easy as he sat in silence, squeezing the hand of the woman he loved more than anything in the world. He insisted that he should have been in her place, that he should have been hurt as he had been closer to the explosion, but luck just didn't wish it to go that way, and as her pulse fell with her blood pressure, he forced himself to ignore it, too terrified to even look at it.

When the ambulance arrived, Lucas climbed out along with them, following closely with them as he held Risa's hand, only halted as he felt Amy's hand planted on his chest. Looking down to it, his gaze shifted back up to the Doctor's face and over her shoulder to the disappearing gurney which Risa lay on. Part of him, hell, most of him wanted to refuse, wanted to push through after her as she was brought into the OR, but logic prevailed this time. He sighed and took a step back, giving Amy a slow nod as he forced himself to calm down. Though hearing the doctors as she moved off turned him pale.

Settling down in a seat to wait, the silence which was filling the hospital right then was chilling, painful even. He was left with his thoughts, and at that point he forced himself to ignore them, to block out any thoughts of what was going on. He didn't wish to terrify himself any more than he already had been. Sighing, he searched for anything to distract him, and focusing on anything that came to mind, his hunger became clear. Standing, he moved slightly down the hall to a vending machine, he put in a few coins, selecting a bag of Peanut M&Ms, and he watched as they got stuck. He moved to the information desk, asking for some help - but getting none, sighing, he returned and looked over the machine again. The act was so monotonous, so dull, so in stark contrast to the horrible thoughts and fears which were filling him, but he longed for the monotony at that point, he refused to let fear take hold.

Sighing, he settled down in a seat again, a rather sudden exhaustion washing over him as he rested his head back, closing his eyes to rest them for however long, just needing some time to calm down, to try and not be terrified over Risa's fate.

As the cruiser pulls up Felix's ears perk a little as he hears that valuable piece of information, or as he would label it in one of his books, a link to a new character. The whole argument and shouting match the two cops were having was making Felix smile anyways, but he didn't expect such "Professionals" to let slip such a piece of information. A shrink? He knew that meant one of a few things. Either the cops partner was going to see one and maybe it was just he was late to her appointment causing the cop to be late. Or perhaps there was a shrink involved in this string of murders. Then it hit him with a thundering smack.

What if this was something to do with a shrink for the lately dead Danicia? Perhaps if he could just find this shrink, he'd be able to find more about the psyche of Danicia and maybe how she died? Wouldn't that be amazing, if he solved it before the police? If he did that he'd be on a roll to making his new novel a smash hit. He smirked as the headlines appeared in his mind. "Author tells story of crime he solved in new hit book" "International record breaker tells of dangerous crimes in Justice City". He rubbed his hands together and sat down on the steps still, taking his phone out.

He flicked on his 4G and got to work opening up chrome, searching up as quick as he could. "Shrinks in Justice City" and waited for the results to load.

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@Scallop - Googling you get a long list of names for shrinks; a long damn list. There are tons of them. There are a couple with huge ads in search; Dr. Brock - specializing in childhood trauma, address is in the Diamond District; Dr. Lyion - who deals mostly with sexual abuse cases, works at a free clinic near Justice Memorial; Dr. Crin - Who basically says she can treat anything, works out of Justice University; and finally Dr. Keller - who only sees former military and public service professionals, works out of brownstone about 10 blocks from Boston Heights.

@Sigil - Alicia saves what she can on a flash drive and pops it out of the port before handing it over to her father. When he asks what time she tells him the game starts at seven and jots down the address on a scrap of paper. It's the Rollar Derby Rink down at the docks. Looking around she excuses herself for a moment and steps to the other side of the room as her phone goes off. She pulls it out and looks at the text she receives, her face is rather blank as she reads it but her fingers fly over the keys as she shoots a text back and then shoves it back into her pocket. With that done she goes back over to her Papi and sees if he wants to find Lorna and grab a bite to eat since it is well passed lunch time now and closing closer to dinner. She wants to get some food in her before the game.

@Nallore Ronnie escorts Riley over to the door of the rink and when asked for tickets he grumbles a bit, having forgotten to grab them at the window first. Lacing his fingers with Riley's and holding on to her tight he pulls her over to the booth to grab the tickets. Riley is getting a lot of looks by some of the people there but this crowd is mostly ignoring her, for now. Tickets purchased Ronnie sticks close to Riley as they enter. Inside the place is pretty run down, rust and dirt and grim is everywhere and the smell of salt is heavy in the air. The rink itself though is in good condition and there is already a warm up game going on for some folks. Doesn't look like an official game, just a bunch of people who are taking the chance to use the high curved sided rink while they can. People are placing bets; Juno or Dragons. Odd are in favor of Juno; 10 to 1.


Behind the doors of the operating room lay the fate of Risa, a small battalion of surgeons and nurses were lined around the table where she rested. The pale woman lay there with her back exposed to the strong bulbs that shown overhead. The shimmering of glass could be seen, reflecting the light from above as a mask was pulled over Dr. Chang's face and gloves were slid into place. Time had already passed for the pair, a heart that stopped beating and breath that refused to be pushed passed pale lips. Beads of sweat formed on Amy's brow from the work of chest compression's; pushing Risa's bones against her heart in hopes of starting it again. Lady Luck was with the young woman who now wore a ring she did not yet know about, for now.

"Let's get to work people," Amy said now that Risa was stable enough to actually perform surgery but she was not out of the woods yet. Several blood transfusions and a restarted heart did not give the seasoned doctor much hope for Miss Couri but that didn't mean she was going to give up on her. It was her job to make sure that before a time of death was called that everything that could have possibly have been done was done. Dr. Chang was never one to give up on a patient, especially not in the operating room. A painter had his pallet and canvas to create a master piece. This was Amy's domain and few were better. She may have been the Dean of Medicine now and others could have been put in her spot, leaving this in the hands of another, but to stay up to date in the world of medicine one could not always sit behind a desk and so here was Dr. Chang, out of her office and in the mix of things. Hopefully Lady Luck would be on her side as well but again only time would tell and behind the doors of the OR, time was never one your side.



It is funny what thoughts can cross the mind of one who has been deprived oxygen for too long. What comes to mind when the lights and sounds of the world are drowned out by the sound of silence. Yet, sometimes what thoughts come to a mind teetering on the edge of nonexistence are to be perfectly expected. Risa mind only saw darkness for what have could have been an eternity or the spans of a single heart beat. All she knew was the last thing her bright eyes had witnessed before the lids fell over them was Lucas.

Lucas, a man whom she never knew she was going to love until she had met him that one day and even then she wondered if she could stand to be around him for the length of time it took to bat ones eyes. He was incorrigible, always smug and pompous in many ways, far too over confidant in himself and his abilities. Yet so was she and what would have looked like to many on the outside as a budding rivalry turned into a blossoming romance in a place where many said that none should be.

Her mind flashed with that moment, when so much had gone wrong and yet they were still standing there next to each other. Breaths were heavy and a moment came, his arm wrapped around her waist as he gave her his ever charming but cocky smile. Risa could not help but smile back at him, knowing what they had been through and accomplished together. "Well we did it, how do we celebrate?" she asked Lucas. He didn't need to say a word and for the first time she witnessed just romantic and spontaneous he could truly be when his lips found hers.

That single memory was one she treasured more than most and as her body was invaded by instruments and her veins with the blood of another, she was at peace to think that if reliving that first kiss was to be her last thought, it was the most precious one she could have chosen. To remember how her heart raced and how his lips tasted; it was not a bad way to leave this world. Then the memory became brighter, as if to be enveloped by the lightning storm of emotion that came with it and everything went white...



Dr. Chang swallowed hard, the cotton from her mask drying out her mouth as she pulled it away. Letting out a long breath she looked down at the ground. One foot in front of the other as the snap of her gloves being removed could be heard. To the trash they went, the stained remains of Risa's blood caking them and soon covered by the paper gown that was ripped away and tossed on top of them.

Steps like this where never easy, those after surgery, after... She did not look up from the linoleum floor as her feet moved out of the Operating Room, out of the suite; stepping to the door that separated her from the man she knew she would have to deliver news to of his loved one. She had not been told that he loved her, something's could be left unspoken when you saw the look in ones eye as another was wheeled off behind those doors.

Resting her hand on the door she pushed it open slowly, breathing deeply the air that was not clouded so sharply with cold air and sterilizer. Though the air in a hospital was never fresh like the outdoors, it was still more comfortable than the air in the OR. Looking around her eyes fell onto Lucas and she took another deep breath; standing there as she cracked her fingers; sore from the intricate work. What would she say to him? The only thing she could say. It was better not to drag these things out.

"You may want to get into recovery so you are there when she wakes up. The ring might shock her to death if she sees it before you actually propose," Amy said as a small weary smile broke across her features and she pushed back on the door, opening it for him. Beyond the door he could see Risa being wheeled off to the recovery ward. "Go on, she should be awake soon."

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As Riley approached the ticket booth with Ronnie, she felt him grabbing her hand his fingers locking with hers she looked around the group seeing some of them were staring at her. But they didn't do anything else other then that, she felt awkward but decided to just play along as a couple for now. As the ticket person handed them their tickets Riley headed inside with Ronnie, she looked around the rusted and dirty looking arena it reminded her of some of the shadier places she used to play her music at before she had grew big. Riley leaned in towards Ronnie and whispered to him. "We should just act like a couple. Just don't kiss me or anything." Riley said quietly as she looked towards the arena seeing some people were already in the rink doing some practice rounds.

"So should we investigate while the game is going on, that way people are more focused on the game?" Riley asked as she stood there, she had never been to a Roller Derby game before. It sort of looked fun to her she had never been on roller skates either Riley started to run a hand through her hair. As someone walked past her and bumped into her shoulder glaring at the person who had walked past her she wanted to punch him for not saying excuse me and sighed quietly.

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Knowing how long their arguments could go on, Lorna opted to head outside and keep an eye on things from there. She'd have preferred them to take their bickering into the breakroom so she could get started on the cameras that needed fixed but she wasn't about to tell her boss to shift and give her peace. She'd wandered into the breakroom where she grabbed a bottle of water from a vending machine and then made her way outside. She glanced at her watch and raised a brow at the time. Not much longer left until quitting time. She found a comfortable spot against the exterior wall to lean against that gave her a good view of the main gates where she could keep a distance eye on their new front gate guard to ensure he was doing his job correctly.

Opening up her water, Lorna took a long drink and enjoyed the sun beaming down. She grabbed her sunglasses and slipped them on and waited for Alicia and Caesar. She slipped out her phone and glanced at the message from Lawson again. She then chuckled at her inability to show emotion in text and shrugged her shoulders before shoving her cell back in her pocket. Her forefingers rubbed idly across her thumbnails as she began to think. She hadn't considered the fact that he might want to date her. She figured they'd grab a few beers, watch a game or something, possibly grab some wings or ribs then head back to his place where they'd make out, have a good time then be on their way. This idea of doing something that wasn't in her realm of comfort made her a little uneasy.

Starting to pop her knuckles, Lorna felt her jaw tightening. Shaking her head out, Lorna sighed and decided to just head back inside and get those two before they went at it for real. She went back inside and rapped her knuckles on the door to the security office before opening it. "You two done so that I can get the fuck back to work? You guys don't pay me to twiddle my thumbs. Hey, what's that?" She nodded her head to the screen and glanced at what was displaying.

"Drugoy Russkiy... Leash, mind playin' that from the start and givin' me some headphones? I can translate." She grabbed a pen and paper and pulled up a seat as she waited for Alicia to hand her some headphones.

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Ronnie chuckled as he looked over at Riley and put his arm around her. He wasn't being creepy about it, more like an old friend would lead someone around a place. "Don't worry, I won't. But allow me this or hand holding, makes it a bit more convincing," he whispered against her ear. He knew the place all too well, and knew what type of people came here. It wasn't exactly the best place in the world to hang out and was not the ideal first date. It was basically there for people to watch women beat the shit out of each other while on skates.

Walking over to the concession stand, Ronnie grabbed them a few slices of pizza and an over sized drink before leading Riley over to one of the high bleacher seats. At least there were fewer people up that high and they could get a good look at the place over all. Setting the food down between them he leaned back against the wall as he sat down and propped his feet up on the bleacher below them. "Food is okay, but don't think it is getting recommendations on yelp," he laughed before picking up one of the pieces of pie and folding it in half before taking a big bite.

Looking around he pointed as the Roster for both teams that were playing tonight was lifted up above the rink. Just simple shots of each woman and their name. It was to let the other team know with only a little bit of time to prepare who they were actually up against. "Juno is the reigning champs in this division, haven't lost a game in three years, wonder who is playing tonight. They supposedly have some new faces."

The starting rosters were as follows -

• The Dragons
  • Dragon - Captain
  • Fire
  • Atomic Seltzer
  • Wheezy
  • LoPana
  • Mizzguided
  • Ho Fun Sum
  • Principle Fuck
  • LuvLongTime
  • BizzE-B
  • Cranks
  • SuSuSukio
  • BullzEye

• Juno
  • Venus - Captain
  • Minerva
  • Ceres
  • Diana
  • Proserpine
  • Gaia
  • Vesta
  • Terra
  • Siren
  • Iniquis
  • Cantus
  • Nova Cibum

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It all happened so fast. The flailing came first, which he didn't quite see coming. Then his pizza hit the ground, and he felt extremely crestfallen at that. But what happened next was something that he felt could have only come from a weird, suspense thriller. There were needles in the back of Wallace's head, and the older guy who Tank had enjoyed messing with was now dead. It wasn't something he would have wanted, but it begged a lot of questions.

He let out a breath, and shook his head. His next words were so deadpan that he felt like the tension had just been cut with a knife. "So...guess this is an odd time to tell you I've been transferred." Tank said, pursing his lips together at the coming looks from Gregory and Cecily. He shrugged. "Not sure why, but got a call on my way back up...the plot thickens." he shrugged, and within a minute or two he was gone.

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Lucas was snapped rather suddenly back awake the second he heard Dr. Chang's voice. His gaze locked onto her for a few moments as he listened to her. Lucas had been making such an effort to tune himself out of what had been happening, out of the fear of the worst, that it really did take him a moment or two to fully grasp what she was telling him. He probably looked like an idiot, staring at her blankly for a few moments as she smiled down at him, letting him know that his girlfriend had survived when all the odds were against her. Even when she pushed open the door and he could see Risa being wheeled off, he sat there, still taking it in.

Even when he did fully understand the situation, he didn't say anything, he didn't even think to. In a second he was on his feet, sprinting off down the hall after Risa. Dr. Chang kept the door open as he bolted through it before making her way down the hall to get some much needed coffee. He was overjoyed, in fact, overjoyed was an understatement, Lucas couldn't begin to describe how he felt in that moment, he'd essentially conceded that the worst would happen, that he would lose the woman he loved, but it was not to be, and Lucas could not have been happier. Watching as they wheeled her into a room, he slowed down as he got to the door and moved inside, finally letting himself calm down a bit as he saw her laying there.

Risa, despite everything, looked good. They had her partially sitting up with the bed elevated and one could think that she had been doing nothing more than enjoying a peaceful sleep with pleasant dreams. In a way she had been. The orderly and nurse moved out of the room once she was situated and closed the door behind them. They had done their job and Dr. Chang would be in later to check up on Miss Couri's recovery. Moving over, Lucas smiled widely as he pulled up a chair to sit right beside her, reaching up and gently taking her hand. He made sure to cover the ring, he figured she'd feel it but he wanted to actually say something before she saw it, not that he figured it would affect the outcome, but he felt it was just right and, as Amy had said, less likely to make her die of shock as a result.

Time passed as the monitors beeped with each beating of Risa's heart while she lay there, as if to be a constant reminder that she was indeed alive. Eventually a soft sigh came from her lips as she began to stir, her head falling to the side much in the same way it always did when she woke up. Gradually her eyes opened, looking around the room slowly until they fell onto Lucas and a gentle dreamy smile came to her lips. She was still dealing with the effects of the anesthesia, as well as the pain medications that were pumping through her veins. Her fingers curled around his palm as he held her hand but she was still too far dazed to even realize there was a ring on her finger right then. "Hey, I didn't know hospitals employed such dashing doctors."

Lucas smirked as he heard the words, and rather suddenly something happened which was so uncommon, even Risa had only seen it from time to time. He started to cry. They weren't tears of sadness, but tears of joy, Lucas essentially laughing as he reached up with his free hand to wipe the tears away. Just hearing that words, hearing her joke around was enough to let him know for sure that she was going to be okay. It washed away in an instant all the fear which had built up inside of him as he sighed, watching her closely with a grin. "I'll kick your ass if you tell anyone about this." He smirked, wiping away the last of his tears as he began to calm down and gather himself, clearing his throat.

What the shit... Risa thought to herself as she witnessed Lucas break down the way he did. He wasn't a crier, neither was she. They both prided themselves in their ability to hold back the tears. They joked about it. Sure they both had cried in front of the other from time to time but it was a damn rare event. Had she really been that injured? That it would bring him to tears to see her speaking? She felt like apologizing for scaring him that much but then his mouth over-road the moment and she smirked. "Yeah, well you'd better make sure I'm laid up like this, cause it'd be the only time you'd have a chance at winning," she stated smugly as she stuck her tongue out at him.

Reaching up, he set both of his hands on top of her own, eyes locking on hers. He knew she was dazed, tired, but he didn't want to wait at all, he'd waited long enough and he had almost lost her, he'd be damned if that happened again. "Risa..." The tone in his voice was different to how it usually was, it was serious, scared almost.

Risa perked a brow at the sudden change in his voice, this was even more rare. The man was rarely serious and never scared; a look of worry washed over her features. "Lucas... what's wrong?" she asked a bit nervously as she tried to sit up a little more.

"...I've been putting this off a long time, much longer than I should have. I kept thinking 'when's going to be the best time' or, how you'd react or a hundred other things which I used as excuses. I waited so long that I almost lost you, and that would have destroyed me." He watched her closely, pausing for a moment. Swallowing hard, Risa bit her bottom lip nervously, her eyes filling more and more with worry as each word left his mouth.

"I'm not going to wait any longer, I need to ask - will you marry me?" He gave her a classic, goofy smile as he pulled his hand away revealing the ring on her finger.

Risa froze, her eyes washing away of fret and going into complete, utter shock as the question came out. "Wh...what?" she stuttered out, wondering just how drugged she was right then. Then her eyes spotted the ring as he moved his hand. She gasped out loud, then squealed, then screamed. "Oh my God!" Lunging forward despite the surgery, the iv's, everything; wrapping her arms around him. She was shaking from sheer adrenaline that suddenly was coursing through her veins. "Yes! I'm not wearing a dress, but yes!"

Lucas couldn't help but laugh as she threw herself toward him and wrapped her arms around him. Part of him wanted to scold her for doing so immediately after her life-threatening surgery, but he was just as overjoyed with the situation as she was. After long enough waiting, the two were engaged, he couldn't have cared less about anything else in that instance. "Really? 'i'm not wearing a dress' is how you answer that?" He laughed, he shouldn't have expected anything less, and in fact, he'd have probably been disappointed if he hadn't gotten a remark like that. Slowly, he peeled himself away from the embrace, planting a gentle kiss on her lips as he did so, sitting back up straight as he watched her. "Try not to strain yourself too much, alright? I don't want you breaking any stitches before we even start planning."

Pulsing her lips against his Risa smiled up at him, running her fingers along the back of his neck. "Did you really expect any different?" she asked as she cocked a brow. "No, I suppose not." Lucas said plainly, a soft smile resting on his lips. She was about to sit back when the door opened and she heard someone clearing their throat. Turning her head slightly she spotted Dr. Chang standing there with her arms crossed.

"Hey, lay the fuck back down," she barked and Risa gave Lucas a look that could only be construed as oh fuck, I'm in trouble. What's new? Shrugging she laid back down as Amy walked over and check the vitals and monitors. "Seems like you are feeling better but you have to rest now. No fucking him until those stitches I put in come out got it? I mean it damn it, that's some of my best handy work and I won't have you marring it up just because he liked it so much he put a ring on it." Lucas scrunched up his mouth slightly, it was relatively clear the man had a snarky comment on hand, but he was holding it in for now, the doctor had saved Risa's life, he wanted to avoid annoying her as much as possible, a true sign of respect, in Lucas' books.

"She'll behave, Doc - i'll make sure of it." He gave Chang a nod, looking toward Risa with a wink. He was content enough with things as they were, the engagement was more than enough for him, and to finally have it out of the way was perfect. Settling back in his seat, he watched Risa quietly, a smile on his face as he let Amy do what she needed to.

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A light, breaking through the clouds so dark above the skies of Justice; shining down over the people for the briefest of moments as one... two... pause... three... gun shots go off deep within the city. Valentine is done. Here but now they're gone. Romeo and Juliet are together in eternity, Romeo and Juliet. Forty thousand men and women everyday, like Romeo and Juliet...

Stop, look around you. I don't mean just see but actually look, look with everything you are, what you once were, and what you could truly be. Do you see it? Can you feel it? Has justice just been served? Truly served? Is that what you see, is that what you think? Could it truly be that simple? Don't fall for it, for as one case is finally closed and sealed, others have open and you are now delving deeper into the core of what this place called Justice truly is. The experiment was only a beginning, a start to something far beyond what you may have thought. For when Justice is dealt, Retribution must be paid. It is time to pay the Piper but my dears... Do not fear the Reaper.



"This is Amy Adams reporting for Channel 6 News and I am here outside of the office of Dr. Keller where tragedy has struck. It seems the good doctor, known for his humanitarian efforts to help those suffering from PTSD, has become a victim of his own patient. What could have caused such an event to occur? Did the doctor push his patient too far? Let's listen in as Detective Johnson updates us on just what they believe happened within the psychiatrists office earlier this afternoon," the reporter stated into the camera before it panned over to Det. Johnson standing on the stairs of the brownstone where the doctors office lay, just blocks away from Boston Heights.

"Afternoon everyone. At approximately 1:00 P.M. this afternoon Cameron White shot and killed Dr. Keller as well as his wife Lyndsay before turning the gun on himself and ending his own life. It is a tragedy that this has occurred and we at the police department will be looking into the why but the case is being treated as a suicide. May our thoughts be with their families. Thank you," Johnson stated briefly before turning and pushing passed the crowds of reporters and climbing into the awaiting vehicle before driving off from the scene, refusing to answer anymore questions.

"Yes, indeed it is a tragedy. A young man taking the life of his doctor and his wife before claiming his own? What could drive a man to such horrors. Channel Six News will keep digging and report as the story unfolds. This is Amy Adams with Channel 6 News," she stated quickly before the camera's cut back to the Five O'Clock evening news that was already in progress.



Case file 6983-95-IBZ2F - Cameron White: Case Closed

Suicide Note: I am sorry for what I have done and for those I have harbored in my villainy. I did not know it would go this far or hurt so many. I must make this right. I was the one that killed Peyton Glencross, and Lyle Marlestone. I ended that poor woman's life for no more than a paycheck. I ended his because he was a complication. I have ended so many because I was told to, never thinking of the consequences. I cannot stop the killings, but perhaps I can pause them for a time. May what ever awaits me on the other side have mercy on me though I deserve none. I was not the beginning and I will not be the end.
Cameron White
Mr. March IV

Case file 4827-IB-861 - Peyton Glencross: Case Closed
Case file 2030-FR-932 - Lyle Marlestone: Case Closed



And so we turn the page and begin another chapter. The news has broken out over the airwaves and for once the suicide was truly a suicide. Could it have been prevented? What drove Mr. White to kill not only himself but his wife and his therapist? What in his mind finally caused him to snap enough to exact his own form of justice on himself and why the others? Perhaps those are questions that are better left for another time, perhaps they are better left to never be answered.

Yet it leaves us with so many unanswered questions, so many theories, so much more to look into. And so we shall. For when one case is closed, more open and now before you is your next task, Retribution.

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On the high sheen polished desk sat a Newton's Cradle, the gentle sound of each swings slack echoing through the room as nothing else sounded. Eyes sat there staring out towards the night skin as slender freshly manicured nails swung in the air in the the mimicking motion of the cradles movement. Lips painted red pursed and thinned somewhat as a breath was heard, that breath taken before someone makes an excuse. She knew that breath all too well and before that breath could be turned into words those fingers stopped moving and eyes darted from the night's sky towards the one who was the source of her displeasure.

"Don't." A single word but then again nothing more was needed as the breath turned into a swallow. They lowered their head, knowing they had displease the one who sat there in the chair. A single finger pressed against the cradle to stop its swing before she swiveled in her chair to look at the one who stood before her. "You were supposed to take care of this. We do no leave loose ends."

"Yes Ma'am, I know Ma'am. It's just..."

"I said don't," she said, her voice growing more stern as a single finger was held pointed towards the source of her displeasure. "Clean this mess up before it gets even more out of hand. Understood?" That finger coming down against the desk, the nail clicking against the maple and oak top.

"Yes Ma'am"

"Now, on to new business. Do we have anything new to report about the location of Professor Gerard?" she asked as she leaned back in her seat. Fingers lacing with each other as hands rested in her lap and elbows on the arms of her chair. It had been a hunt, a man hunt over the last while to find him and all attempts had come up short. There were clues, a trail of breadcrumbs but hard to decipher; taking far more time than she would have liked.

"No Ma'am."

"Very well. You may be excused," she said dismissing the one in front of her with the wave of her hand.

"Yes Ma'am, thank you Juno."

A simple tilt of the head she gave them before turning her chair around and looking back over the night sky. The door to her office closing heavily and silence falling back over the room once again. Her eyes wandered from the starry sky as she pondered to herself what her next move would be. Reaching over she pressed the button of the entercom and spoke. "Alert Titaness that I will be coming for a visit," she said then letting everything go silent once again. Rising from her place she started the cradle up once again before placing her hands behind her back as she walked over to the full length windows, her heels clicking to the pace of the cradle as she did. She took in the starry night; one did not get a clear view of the heavens when in Justice, in fact the only way to truly see such a sight in Justice was after ones last breath was drawn.

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Cecily glanced up from her tears, seeing Tank waltz back inside of the room. The look of apathy on his face appalled her. He'd only been on the force for a few weeks, but Cecily had managed to figure out that Tank didn't think with his head. He thought with his stomach. Moving quickly from denial to anger, Cecily curled her fingers into a fist, and decked Tank across the face.

"You ass!" Cecily seethed, pulling her hand back for another punch. She hit the man again, and then watched as he left, without so much as an apology for what his actions caused. Having never punched someone beyond her brother in her life, Cecily shook out her hand, feeling the sharp sting across her knuckles. More tears continued to cascade down her face, but she knew what she had to do.

Quietly borrowing Gregory's phone from him, Cecily cross-examined the number Caesar had called her from. She'd seen enough bugs in the room, and at least, Gregory's phone was guaranteed to be clean. Her car was back at the coroner's office, meaning she'd have to get a ride back with Gregory, get a cab, or somehow get a lift from Caesar. Typing out a text, Cecily sent the following to Caesar:



Handing the phone back to Gregory, Cecily wiped her eyes, staring at the lifeless body of Wallace. With her own phone, she called it in. With the coroner down, Cecily considered sending a text to her friend Bonnie. They both worked at the Coroner's Office, after all, but Cecily decided against it. Whatever was going on, she didn't want to drag her friend into it. She doubted that the hospital staff knew much of what was going on as well, but as far as she was aware, one of the nurses likely was put up to this. Either that, or someone who signed in as a visitor.

Turning to one of the nurses, Cecily took a breath to compose herself. "I need personnel records, the visitor's log, a detailed listing of each and every person who entered this room, and security footage," Cecily instructed. "We'll also need to interview the Dean of Medicine about this. No one is to touch a thing in this room without proper clearance, understood?"

Grabbing a pair of latex gloves from one of the drawers, Cecily slipped them on. She went through the same process as always with her phone, recording the scene through a video, and then photographing everything she could. She used a makeshift scale in order to compare the photos, allowing Gregory to do his detective work, while she ensured none of the evidence was missed.

"When you bag and tag today, search people as they leave," Cecily advised. "Don't want another fuck up like with the gun, right?"

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"I can deal with hand holding and your arm around my waist so i'm cool with that." Riley whispered back towards Ronnie, might as well play the act as a couple here just to hide better in the crowd. She followed alongside Ronnie towards the concession stands and watched as Ronnie bought himself some pizza as well as a large drink. Riley decided to buy herself a large soft pretzel along with an over sized soda as well, Riley paid for her own food and walked alongside Ronnie towards the upper bleachers that overlooked the whole room. "Honestly i'm not that familiar with Roller Derby." Riley said to him as she leaned back as she unwrapped her pretzel and then took a bite out of it. Riley looked up towards the screen as it showed the roster of the members of each team Juno and The Dragons.

Riley took another bite out of the pretzel as she looked over towards Ronnie and moved slightly closer towards him, she didn't feel comfortable but then again they were acting like a couple here. Riley watched as the derby girls did their practice runs, all she really knew about the sport was them trying to knock them off it looked like a violent sport. But she truly didn't know any of the rules about the game. Riley raised an eyebrow towards Ronnie when he mentioned Team Juno hadn't lost in three years, which to her felt a little bit suspicious. "So do you think that Juno is cheating or something, since they haven't lost?" She wasn't sure how many other Roller Derby teams were in Justice.

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Caesar accepted the flash drive and slip of paper from his daughter, wrapping the paper around the drive and slipping them both into a pocket. Maybe now was time to purchase a safe deposit box, somewhere in town. Just in case his company's system was compromised, it would be nice to keep a physical copy someplace. Likewise, he quietly accepted Lorna's offer for translation. He was a little surprised that he had forgotten she knew Russian; it's not like it was casual dinner conversation at the Casa Gonzalez. Then again, casual dinner conversation at his place commonly fell to more blood soaked conversations, such as how many teeth they collected that day, interspersed between financial projections and whatever was on TV that season. Such was the life of their violent and eccentric clan.

He waited until Alicia got back from taking her text message to speak a few words, "Girls, I know this seems like I'm going stir crazy in that apartment and need a case to work. Maybe I do. I don't know. There are people dying around us, and no answers why they are. Thank you for your help with this. If anything happened to either of you, I don't know what I'd do." His face grew grim, thoughts of blood and vengeance playing behind his eyes. "Be painful, though. Hurt a lot of people until I found the right one. Then I would strangle the pobre hijo de puta with his own intestines - cram his verga en la nariz, esa puta estupida..."

Caesar caught his rising anger and threw some restraint on top of it. This would help no one. Yet. Still, he did have a strong feeling that tapping into the building concern and rage that fueled some of his best work would be necessary before this was over, with or without the backup due to arrive the next morning.

Backup! Mierda. He needed to make some minor preparations before then. It could be done by phone, but he had to get it together before close of business today. Caesar reached into his pocket for his phone, quite surprised when it buzzed quietly in his hand. He had just received a text message of his own... and from an unknown number.

The number, while unknown, was somehow familiar. Caesar stared at it for a few seconds before rummaging through his jacket. He produced a slightly creased business card he had been handed the previous night, after the brouhaha with Danica Graves. The beginnings of a confused look taking his face, he spoke aloud, "M'hija, thank you. Cookie, please let me know what you find out. I have to go now. Apparently someone murdered Detective Gregory's boss, and he wants me to give him a ride someplace."

What the hell? Couldn't hurt to foster some goodwill with the one cop that looks like he's actually trying to do his job. But he wasn't going to get all friendly just yet. He left the security room after collecting his personals and information, then headed over to the company's motor pool. Caesar grabbed a spare motorcycle helmet and put in a request for a company vehicle to me made ready for an incoming Agent, then jogged out to his trike. Minor irritation evident, he shoved the helmet into a saddlebag, grabbed his own, and took a moment to answer the incoming text.



He revved up his Harley and swiftly narrowed the distance between himself and Justice Memorial Hospital.

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Ronnie shook his head and pulled up some videos on youtube of the team on his phone. Handing it over to Riley he let her watch as he continued to munch on his pizza. "No, these woman are fucking fierce I tell you. They are like some kind of strike team on a mission from god. Rough as hell, things get brutal when they are on the rink. If it was anything I would think they might actually be a bit too rough on the rink and for this sport that is saying something. Seen them put girls in the hospital. This is sure to be a blood bath. Dragons aren't anything to laugh at. They really are the only competition for these girls," he said before taking a long sip of his drink, sucking on the straw and then trying to hold back a belch but it came anyways.

His eyes widened a bit and then he shrugged. "Better out than in," he said. The videos were intense. One of the women, some cut woman with long ash hair in a pony tail ducked under another Derby girl, flipping her over her head and sending her into the crowd. Another video showed an Asian woman come across like like she was swinging for a home run and knocked teeth out of another. He wasn't joking, each video got worse and worse until one showed a woman being hauled out on a stretcher while someone was trying to perform CPR.

"See, told ya. These girls aren't ones to mess with," he added before taking his phone back and slipping it into his pocket. Glancing around for a moment, he saw a guy eyeing Riley; he knew that look and he knew the guy. Sliding closer to her he draped an arm over Rileys shoulder and flipped the man a one fingered salute as he smirked a bit. The guy rolled his eyes and walked off, heading over to a seat on the other side of the rink. "Fucking piranha."

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Alicia let Lorna do her job, handing her something to write on and with. The accent was a bit off but it wouldn't be anything that Lorna couldn't work through. Most of the time the woman and the men were talking it was what you would expect. Her telling them to hurry up, them saying they were moving as quickly as they possibly could. When they wouldn't move faster she would bitch and curse and moan. They still saying they couldn't move any faster. Then she would mention the boss and they would speed up. She never referred to the boss by a name but she used the female pronoun.

Looking over at her Father Alicia perked a brow and reached out resting her hand on his shoulder. "Breath Papi. Nothing going to happen to Cookie or me. We can handle ourselves. Fuck, I survived growing up with you on the job. If I can survive that, I can survive anything," she said trying to reassure her father. She understood his concern, Justice wasn't exactly the best place to live and grow old in but she wasn't worried. As far as she figured she had no reason to be.

Perking a brow as her dad left she looked over to Lorna with a weird look on her face. "Why the hell would the detective from last night be calling Papi for a ride? Why not that other cop that lives near us, or like anyone from his station?" she asked, not really expecting an answer, more of a pondering to herself out loud. Shaking her head she started to grab her things.

"Come on Cookie, I'm starving and I have to get to the rink soon," she said jingling her keys.

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"Good make sure she does. If anything comes up, alert the nurse. I will be back in the morning to check on you. As long as you get some rest, you should be out of here in a few days," Dr. Chang said before stepping back out of the room and closing the door behind her. Risa smirked a bit as she rested her head back on her pillow and looked over to Lucas. She was still glowing, she didn't care that the doctor had yelled at her, she was too happy to really care what the doctor was saying. She knew she needed to rest, this wasn't the first time she had gotten hurt. Probably wouldn't be the last.

Looking down at the ring, Risa ran her finger over it. She still wondered if she was actually just drugged and seeing things. How long had he had the ring? She could only guess. Lucas was always full of surprises and the man, despite everything, was actually very romantic when it came to her. He seemed to always have something small up his sleeve for her. Flowers, showing up to see her, the way he would just reach out and tuck her hair behind her ear, or the fact that he never tried to steal his clothing back from her even though he complained about it. It was just sweet in her mind and she got lost in her thoughts as she looked at the ring, not even noticing that Lucas's phone buzzed; signalling he had gotten a text.



Sighing happily to herself, Risa raised her hand to bring the ring closer to her and look at it. It was stunning. It wasn't too big and much but it was just perfect. Chuckling to herself she reached out to Lucas and rested her other hand over his knee, squeezing it gently. Taking a breath she lowered her hand and looked over to Lucas, finally realizing that his phone had dinged. Perking a brow she let out a tired sigh, "Everything okay love?" she asked in a dreamy voice. She was still half out of it. The morphine running through her veins was making it difficult to pick up on much of anything right then and the delirium she felt from now being his fiance was only making her mind spin even faster.

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Gregory's eyes widened as Cecily laid into Tank, biting the inside of his cheek as to not just bust out laughing. There was a dead man laying there in the bed that had just been murdered. He didn't exactly blame her for knocking the shit out of the man. Handing her his phone he let her send the text and took it back. Taking a breath he looked down at it and laughed as he saw the two texts next to each other. Looking over at Cecily.

"Did you happen to tell whoever you texted that it was you texting from my number and not me? Because apparently I think they think I am sitting in the bitch seat," he chuckled before handing the phone back over to her. Figuring she might want to fix that, or it could cause some confusion and right then they had enough of that going around.

Seeing Cecily start getting to work he did the same, wanting to secure the scene as quickly as possible. This was not what he was expecting to happen but the look on his face was rather calm, as if it didn't surprise him the more and more he thought about it. Reaching up he ran his fingers through his hair and then looked over towards Cecily. "You need to be careful, seriously Cecily. They aren't messing around," he said before he stepped out of the room and started questioning the staff to see if anyone had witnessed anything, who came in and requesting the security feeds for the hospital since Wallace's admittance.

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Cecily nearly squeaked, realizing her mistake. The events of the day were starting to mess with her head, and she blushed a bit, accepting the phone back from Gregory. She raised an eyebrow at Caesar's response. Had she not been positively terrified and convinced the Mexican could kill her with a stare, she might have raised an issue with the language. Instead, she sent back a rather meek reply:



Handing the phone back to him, Cecily shrugged slightly. "Maybe I'm in shock? Dunno. Haven't felt like this since cramming for five APs the night before," Cecily joked, attempting to lighten the mood. Had it been any other dead guy in the room, she might have succeeded. Shaking her hand out again, she made a mental note that punching people perhaps wasn't for her. She'd stick with science, leave all the punching and such to Gregory.

Returning to her work, she found little else in the room. The television was informing the public about yet another suicide, but she was far too frazzled to pay attention to it. She couldn't find any other bugs in the room, but she couldn't help but be paranoid that they'd tapped her cell phone. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up slightly, as she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her.

Cecily nodded at Gregory's advice, deciding that she'd start to carry her gun on her. It wasn't much use to her now, locked away in her apartment. "I know...Listen, I can come over to your place tonight. If you bring whatever evidence you can, files, the whole deal...I can see about analyzing it all there. Send me a text and I can let you know what kit boxes to bring. It's a bit rudimentary, but..."

She trailed off, not wanting to say the obvious. Someone within the forensics department likely had their hands dirty, so to speak. The evidence locker wasn't the safest of places for this information, and the other forensic techs might easily pass off a positive result as a negative one. It wouldn't allow them to use AFIS or CODIS, of course, but those could be done later. And they would take ages to process as well.

"Would you, um, would you mind walking me out?" Cecily asked sheepishly. "I'm kinda new to this whole people shooting at you thing...I'm not sure reading comics about it is the same..."

Well if there was one constant for the past 24 hours, it was that nothing was allowed to go right today for just about anyone. Danica (maybe) offed herself, the media get screwed out of a scoop, police officers are forced to do their job, a kid on the bus gets pistol whipped, and even the wifi decides to fuck up. Well, the nature of wifi was that it was a finicky bitch that never wanted to work properly, but it somehow still managed to come off as fishy as hell. Maybe she should buy a radio. It was certainly more consistent and a hell of a lot cheaper to maintain, even if she wouldn't have complete control of the musical selection.

Eventually, she just decided fuck it, just turn off the music. The choppy playbacks and long pauses for buffering or whatever the hell was going on was more distracting and irritating than if she had no music at all. Well, at least turning the damn thing off would allow the computer to charge more quickly than it was currently. Mali hovered over the exit button for a few seconds (on an unrelated note, why did Chrome decide to abandon the red X? It stood out better than the greyed out symbol they had now. Sure it didn't look "sleek," but Ui was supposed to be about function over form, right?) contemplating whether she should really just shut off the computer right now. There could be more news about Danica or Lyle's murder that she'd be missing out on. Then she figured that if there was, she'd certainly learn about it soon enough, and given how shoddy the internet was acting, it wouldn't be worth the headache as just waiting awhile and doing something more productive, like the unpacking she was supposed to be in the middle of right now.

With that matter resolved, Mali got back to work. She picked up a nearby, recently emptied box and threw it into the kitchen, where it bounced off the top of a great pile of similarly empty boxes and clattered away from where it could be directly seen. Eh, close enough. They could all be broken down and neatly crammed into a dumpster later. She took a peek out the window, only to see the cops outside bickering with each other. Good ol' Justice camaraderie. No sign of any of the Targets. Mali groaned as she picked up the next box to sort through and unpack.