Compromise

Episode 8

Jack Routh

He watched as Wesley ignored Lopez when he visited the station for a client. He could see how it hurt his T.O. and decided to let her speak first. It was the start of the rainy season in L.A. and he was still getting used to their newly issued jackets.

They spotted a car weaving dangerously on the road and Lopez started to suspect it was a set-up by I.A. They pulled the car over and realized the gravity of the situation when they saw a young boy, around 10 or 11 behind the wheel with a clearly unconscious and shaking older teen in the back seat.

"My sister. I have to get her to the hospital." The boy claimed.

Lopez immediately got into the car and he informed dispatch of their location and status.

"She's barely breathing." Lopez used her lap as a pillow for the girl's head to ease her breathing.

"Get the narcan! It's probably heroin." Lopez called out.

He rushed to the shop and took out the emergency drug. He handed it quickly to Lopez who applied it to the girl.

"C'mon, c'mon." Lopez urged the girl to respond to the dose.

The girl suddenly woke up and started breathing better. Her younger brother hugged him in relief.

"She's better, alright?" He tried to comfort the brave kid in the yellow raincoat. "You got her help, you saved her, buddy."

EMTs got the sister to the ambulance. The boy told him his name was Jake, and he was depressingly familiar with OD cases. He informed them on the drive to the shop that he saw his mother OD three times and died on the fourth. Jake and his sister found her one morning, already blue.

Lopez looked to be deeply affected by the kid's story. "Listen Jake, social services will take care of you, okay?"

"Yeah." Jake shrugged looking like he didn't care about his situation. He shared a worried look with his T.O.

"Can we stop by a comic book store for a moment?" He asked Lopez. She didn't even question him and headed to the nearest comic book store. He bought a few issues of Amazing Spiderman, seeing the web-themed pants that Jake wore. He added a few issues of Flash, in case Jake was a DC fan.

"Cool." Jake took the bag filled with comics and started to read. He ignored Lopez's look and they continued to head to the station in silence. The rainy weather was really dampening the mood, he realized.

They were discussing their cases outside the food trucks as he waited for his order to arrive. Nolan's order came first, and his followed after.

"I think you got my order wrong." He told the guy on the food truck. He had ordered food for two and the plastic bag the cook gave him was too small.

"My bad, I got your order mixed up with Nolan's." The cook apologized.

"It's fine. I'll go catch up to him." He replied and hurried to catch up with his fellow rookie.

As soon as he reached the parking lot he heard shooting and immediately ducked down for cover. He pulled out his backup piece and moved between vehicles to see what was happening. He saw a gunman with an AR-15 and a scope, taking aim at Nolan who was taking cover behind his truck, wisely using the engine block as a barrier.

He moved closer and prepared to fire his weapon, but noticed that the shooter was determined to empty his clip on Nolan and didn't notice his presence. He quickly slammed his weapon on the back of the man's head, and he collapsed on the ground. He looked around for other threats as he kicked the weapon away from the unconscious shooter.

The sounds of a siren grew louder as more and more people gathered in their location. Nolan approached him, looking confused.

"He really wanted to kill you." He told Nolan.

"Yeah he was." Nolan replied.

A shop from the night shift arrived immediately and he flashed his badge at the responding officers. Being so close to the station, even the sergeant and the captain arrived in a matter of minutes.

"Who did you piss off?" Bishop looked at Nolan's bullet-ridden pick up truck and asked as the shooter was cuffed and moved to the back of the shop.

"I don't know." Nolan replied looking bewildered by what happened.

"He's been greenlit by the Southern Front. It's a white supremacist gang." The captain shared. "That girl you had an altercation with this morning is the baby mama of the leader of the Southern Front."

"I'm sorry, but what's greenlit?" Nolan asked.

"It's when gangs authorize a hit on a cop. Normally they don't do that, it's too much of a hassle, unless you disrespected one of them." Grey answered.

"Her dress broke by accident, and I embarrassed her. I thought she was I.A." Nolan explained.

"They're one of the most violent enterprises in the country." The captain looked pissed.

"And because of how you treated her, he authorized everyone in the gang to kill you." Grey added looking grim.

"What about Talia, didn't she participate in the arrest?" Bradford asked.

"Nolan was the one who put hands on her, he's the one they're after." The captain answered.

He narrowed his eyes when he heard there were several thousand members just in the greater Los Angeles area. They all escorted Nolan home, with the captain volunteering her car to drive him back to his house. He even acted as an advanced patrol unit with his bike as he led the convoy of cars.

Cops converged on Nolan's house an hour later and the captain decided to post a unit to watch over him. K9 dogs even swept the property for possible bombs. A special alarm was set up to bypass 911 and alert cops directly, courtesy of the District Attorney's office.

"What are you still doing here?" The captain asked him.

"Waiting for you." He replied. He had to admit the attack on Nolan set him on edge, and his instinct was to protect the most important person to him, his soon to be wife, even if he knew she wasn't the target.

He followed her car home, and held her tightly once she finally fell asleep an hour later. She had to appear strong for the others, and only shared her worries with him in the privacy of his apartment.

The next morning, his fiancé decided on a bold strategy. She called on all units, even those with a day off, and lifted over-time limits. They were planning to pressure the gang, to force Cole, the son of the gang leader to drop the hit on Nolan. His fellow rookie was understandably absent from the briefing. Strategically, it was a smart move to lay low for the moment while the greenlit was still active. Anyone riding with Nolan if he went out on patrol would be in considerable danger.

"Sorry I'm late."

"All the cops stared at Nolan as he entered the briefing room." He saw the pleased look on the captain's face by Nolan's show of bravery. Bradford stood first to acknowledge Nolan, followed by the other cops who all stood up in their seats and started clapping for him.

"Yesterday, Southern Front tried to kill one of our own." The captain looked around the room once the applause died down. "Today we hit back."

She never looked so hot.

He just booked five suspects before lunch started and the holding cells were brimming with prisoners. Every operation of Southern Front was targeted, from prostitution rings, to illegal arms smuggling and drug operations. They even had to call a bus to transport the booked suspects to other facilities since the holding cells were full.

What he was uneasy about, was Zoe's decision to ride with Nolan out on patrol. He just couldn't help but feel worried for her safety.

The tension in the station eased when Grey brought word that Midas, Cole's father ordered the green light on Nolan to be taken down. He remained vigilant though, after reading the profile on Cole, he knew the son wouldn't obey his father's orders.

He was monitoring the radio during his break in the afternoon and listened as Nolan and the captain responded to a 459, meaning a burglary. It was strange, Nolan tended to over-report on the radio about his status and it was already ten minutes since Nolan reported. Something was wrong. He took note of the address and headed to his bike.

He must have passed by several red lights as he swerved in and out of traffic as the engine of his bike howled. The sun was setting when he reached the house, and noticed several men posted outside the home and quickly turned to a corner a block from his objective. He was glad he was riding his bike. Arriving with a shop they would have instantly detected his presence.

He moved to the side street and parked the bike on the sidewalk. Exercising caution he moved closer to the house and a faint wind carried the voice of Zoe screaming in pain. He struggled to control his temper as a sudden downpour started, followed by lightning and thunder.

He walked towards the two guards who were sheltering under the roof. They were fortunately presenting their back towards him and grabbed the two heads and smashed them against each other. They crumpled quickly to the floor in a heap. He turned and saw a large baldheaded man with facial tattoos all over his head appear from around the corner.

They looked at each other for a second before they both moved. He tackled the man to the flower bed and they rolled in the mud as they both struggled to be on top. Fists and elbows flew and he decided to use his head and slammed it against his bigger opponent, and felt his opponent's nose break. Breaking free, he hit him in the kidney and repeatedly hit his elbow to the man's face with quick jabs. Seeing how disoriented the gang member was, he lifted his head by his hair and slammed the back of his skull to the ground. The large man went still, finally unconscious.

He stood up and headed to the backyard, pulled out his weapon and moved through the bushes. He saw the moment Zoe's eyes widened in surprise when she saw him as she continued to mouth off to Cole.

Nolan appeared to be struggling to remain conscious, both of them tied to chairs and placed dangerously close to the edge of the backyard pool. They both sported bruises and wounds on their faces showing how they were treated by the gang.

"I heard you were dumb." Zoe continued. "But it is shocking to see it in person."

"Dumb?" Cole asked, smiling.

"Dumb."

"Who lured you into an ambush with a false surrender?" Cole looked proud as he pointed at himself.

"Does your father know that it was false?" Zoe asked. "I can't imagine that revelation will go too well."

"What's my rank, junior?" Zoe continued.

"Huh?"

"What. Is. My. Rank?" Zoe repeated slowly. "C'mon, you're the leader of the sixth largest gang in all of California. Surely you can tell from my uniform what rank I am?

"Who the hell cares?" Cole asked. His men started to look worried and he noticed the two guards giving worried looks to one another.

"You're going to. See, it is one thing to put a hit on a rookie, no offense." She gave a brief glance to Nolan.

"None taken."

"But two bars? For crying out loud! And a badge that says captain!? You just crossed a line with anyone with half a brain would run screaming from." Zoe looked amazed that Cole still couldn't comprehend what he had done. "A line that even your father would whack you for crossing. Understood?"

"So let me tell you how's this going to go, you and your little goonies are gonna—"

Zoe started screaming as she was shocked by the stun baton on Cole's hand. He moved closer and aimed his weapon.

"No! Hey Cole! Hurt me!" Nolan yelled trying to gain the man's attention.

"Dumb..stupid…" Zoe gasped after she recovered from the shock and gave Cole a savage smile. "You also pissed off my man."

"Huh?" Cole asked.

Two shots rang out and the two guards immediately fell to the ground. Cole turned around in shock and he saw the fear in the gang leader's eyes as he stepped forward from the bushes.

"I'm that man that you pissed off. Police. Put down your weapons." He ordered.

"Routh." He heard Nolan call out but ignored his fellow rookie, his eyes focused on Cole.

"Last chance you inbred fuck." He called out. "Give me a chance to shoot you. Drop your weapons and get down on the ground."

Cole did not show any intelligence as he suddenly ran to the yard. He quickly chased after him and the man didn't get as he slipped on the muddy ground. He reached the man in two strides and tackled him to the grass. Cole could barely fight, and he easily disarmed the gang leader with a punch to the face. He broke the man's wrist and Cole yelled in agony as he wrestled his gun and stun baton from his hands.

He hit him on the head with his weapon, knocking him out to silence the crying man. His voice was irritating. He was tempted to kick him between the legs, but he knew he wasn't worth it and would only get in trouble with Zoe and Jack watching. Fiance or not, she would still tear him a new one if he ever punished a suspect. Besides, a broken wrist was payback for using a stun baton on his woman.

He cuffed Cole and left him soaking in the lawn. He was in enough trouble as it is since he abandoned his post.

He reached Nolan and Zoe and immediately set them free. Zoe immediately jumped to hug him and he hugged her back, feeling relieved at seeing her alive. They kissed and he eagerly sucked her lower lip and played with her tongue with his as he hugged her closer to him, glad to see her safe.

"Uhmmm is there something I should know?" Nolan asked. They separated and stared at one another.

"Officer Routh is my fiancé." Zoe explained after a moment.

"When did that happen?" Nolan looked shocked.

"It's a long story." The captain took off her necklace and removed the ring from it and quickly placed it on her ring finger.

"That looks great." Nolan replied, looking amazed. "Wow. This is big."

"I'll explain later, but we have to call for backup." He replied and handed his radio to the captain. He pulled some zipties from his duty belt and started to secure the other gang members, and with Nolan's help they dragged them to the back lawn with Cole.

The guards with gunshot wounds were still breathing, and he applied emergency first aid to their wounds. They could hear the sirens growing louder and the sound of a helicopter approaching despite the heavy downpour. They were soon bathed in a bright white light as the airship arrived on the scene.

Police in tactical gear headed by Grey arrived, looking like they were ready for a fight with their grim faces.

"You have no idea how relieved we all are to hear your voice on the radio, Captain." Grey stated once he reached them. He looked around and turned to him.

"Your work, Rambo?" Grey asked.

"Sir?"

"Do you know what you look like right now?" Nolan asked him. "Even I got scared when you emerged from the bushes like some special forces operator."

He looked at his tactical uniform and realized how muddy it was and torn in some places. He touched his face and saw traces of mud on his fingers. He looked around and observed as the other officers started to canvass the area.

"Let's get out of the rain." The captain suggested. She surprised everyone as she grabbed his arm and put it on her shoulder while she leaned against his side.

"Whoa."

"Holy Shit! Look!"

"Captain?"

"Hey! Is that a ring captain?" Lopez pointed to Zoe's left hand.

"Something you're not telling me boot?" Grey asked him. "When I asked you to keep an eye on the captain, I didn't mean that you should marry her."

He shared a glance with Zoe who merely shrugged. "It's a long story Sergeant."

"I bet." Grey shook his head and entered the house.

"I need to grab my bike." He said to the group. "I left it at the corner a block from here and parked it on the sidewalk."

"I'll get it." One of the other cops offered and he tossed the man his keys.

The investigators led by Commander West arrived thirty minutes later, and it took a while for all of them to give out their statements. He used the opportunity to wash all the mud and dirt on his uniform. He did look like some operator with his face all muddy while wearing his tactical gear and helmet.

"How was he able to lure us to this location?" The captain asked, sipping a cup of coffee. "Only cops knew our patrol route."

"We're still investigating the matter." Commander West replied looking worried.

"It's the primary reason I didn't call in. I thought our communications were compromised." He added.

"We'll have to work fast to investigate dispatch." Grey stated.

While they waited in the house that was used to lure the captain, she remained at his side, leaning her head on his shoulder. No one made any comment. The ride to the station was relaxed and there was palpable relief in everyone's faces. 

Applause and cheers greeted them, and even a few whistles as they entered the bullpen. The rumor must have reached the station even before they did.

"Go freshen up." Zoe whispered in his ear. He nodded and headed to the lockers. He indulged a bit and took a long hot shower.

"No wonder you didn't seem interested in anyone else." Lucy and the T.O.s were waiting for him when he emerged from the locker room twenty minutes later. "How long has this been going on?"

"It started when I first met her." He answered. "It just developed from there."

"I already suspected they were together." Lopez admitted. "There was no hard evidence, but I could see the way she looks at him when she thinks no one else is looking. The engagement ring surprised me though."

"Thank you for your discretion, Officer Lopez." The captain appeared, wearing the white dress she had worn earlier in the morning. "I know this must be an unusual situation, but I made sure I treated Officer Routh no different than any other officer under my command."

"What happens now?" Lopez asked.

"I need to speak to the chief first about my engagement." His fiancé looked radiant as she proudly showed off her ring once more. "Officer Routh and I expect that there will be a long and uncomfortable meeting with the top brass regarding our relationship."

"But we're still determined to stay together, no matter the consequences." He added.

"I fear that they may question how I treated Officer Routh this past few months." Zoe shared. "I tried to be as professional and impartial as possible."

"No one's questioning your integrity in your relationship with Routh, Captain." Bishop answered. "The E.C… I mean we we're just surprised, that's all."

Further interviews continued with I.A. until midnight, and he was glad Commander West avoided asking about his relationship with Zoe. He breathed a sigh of relief when he finished the last of his interviews and headed to his bike. Zoe and Nolan went to the hospital for a final check-up just to make sure there were no lasting injuries they suffered from their brief captivity.

He rushed to his fiancé when she arrived early in the morning. They slept until late in the morning, and only their hungry stomachs forced them from the bed.

"We're going to meet the chief and the mayor this week." Zoe explained to him as they ate breakfast. "I'm afraid they're going to use our relationship as a reason to force your transfer to another station."

"I don't really care, as long as we don't need to hide our engagement." He replied.

"Do you have a suit?" She asked.

"No"

"Then let's visit a shop and have you get one, tailor made." She replied. "Dress shoes, Ties, and cufflinks."

"I need all that?"

"We'll need more." Zoe replied. "I need to expand my wardrobe too."

Their shopping spree was tiring, and by the time they returned home, they were both tired and just ordered a take-out. He would need to pick up his suit in two days for a rush order.

The next day he reported for duty, as things finally settled down. He noticed a change in how he was treated though, mostly from the male police officers. Female officers who usually spoke with him now kept their distance.

"They're scared of pissing off the captain." Lopez remarked, looking amused at his plight. "That's part of being engaged to the captain. Get used to it, boot."

 "And the guys?" He asked.

"They consider you a legend." She teased him with a wink. "Do you know how many cops here have a crush on Captain Andersen since she arrived?"

"A lot?"

"A lot." She agreed. "So for you to finally land the Captain, it's a big deal."

Their patrol was interesting that morning, as they encountered a stolen vehicle call. Lopez allowed him to take the lead, and finally found the stolen vehicle in a repair shop after an extensive search in their database. The call took the whole morning, since he also found the repair shop that the thief worked for was involved in the buying of stolen car parts. It took him an hour just to catalog the evidence against the suspects.

"Slow down boot, or I'll have to perform the Heimlich in you." Lopez warned him as he took large bites of his burrito. "Why are you in such a rush?" 

"I have to go to a tailor for my final fitting for my suit." He explained. "It's for the meeting with the mayor and the chief."

"Relax, we can easily pass by the area when we're on patrol." Lopez replied.

He left his belt with his weapon inside the shop and they headed to the tailor, who looked surprised at seeing him dressed in his police uniform.

"Sorry." He told the tailor as he started to unbutton his uniform. "I didn't have time to change."

"You should have told me you were a police officer, Mr. Routh." The tailor replied. "I'd have given you a nice discount."

"We're not really allowed to leverage our job for discounts. It would violate department policy." He explained.

"I see." The older man merely smiled.

He looked at his reflection in front of the dressing mirror as he checked the fit of the suit and pants. He wore a dark gray suit with two buttons with a dark green lining, and a lighter gray dress shirt underneath.

"It fits you perfectly." The tailor said proudly. "You can pick it up at the end of your shift, Officer Routh. I'll make sure we'll remain open later than usual."

"Thank you. I appreciate it."

"You look like one of those old Hollywood movie stars." Lopez remarked. She suddenly pointed her phone at him and took a picture.

"What was that for?" He asked.

"To make fun of you, of course." Lopez replied. "Let's go back to patrol, boot."

They spent the rest of their shift responding to various calls, though none were serious enough for an arrest. Most were just citations and a few traffic violations.

The next few days were filled with patrol duties, and Lopez finally decided to make him primary for both shifts instead of just the second shift.

"We'll make it work." Zoe assured him as they prepared for the meeting. The day had finally arrived. He knew their relationship was technically a violation of department policy. She was a police captain and he was a rookie. The meeting with Chief Williams and the Mayor would greatly influence his future career.

Zoe looked radiant in a cool grey backless dress. He particularly liked the fact that she didn't wear a bra and displayed a good amount of her smooth skin. They took their car and headed to a fancy restaurant that usually required a month of reservation to get a table. They were led to a private room when they arrived where they met Chief Williams, two of his pet officers, and the mayor waited.

"Andersen! Looking lovely this evening." The Chief greeted his fiancé. "Congratulations on your engagement."

"Thank you chief." Zoe replied.

"You look like handsome couple." The Mayor nodded in approval. "You will both look good on camera."

"Sir?" The meeting was not what he expected as he shared a confused glance with Zoe. They were expecting it to be a formal dinner where the chief would comment on how inappropriate their relationship was and that he had to transfer to another station.

"Like with all policies, there are exceptions." Chief Williamson smiled. "Provided of course, that the department benefits from it."

"We're planning to use the two of you for our media campaign." Mayor Stevens added. "A fluff piece, to improve the image of the police department to the public."

"So do you agree?" The chief gave them an expectant look.

They really didn't have a choice if they wanted to remain together in the same station. Zoe finally agreed, but had asked what they needed to do.

"Interviews and photo shoots mostly." The chief's aide answered. "There's the occasional T.V. interview."

"You need make the city and this administration look good." The mayor instructed them. "I'm counting on you."

The rest of the meeting was boring, full of pleasantries and pointless conversation. He patiently sat beside Zoe as he continued to answer question after question about his experiences as a rookie police officer.

He later found himself giving a lecture about the dining room as he pointed out the history and significance of each item he could see. He even explained about mismatched decorations of the wooden carvings on the wall, as they were from different periods. It was like someone tried to replicate a Victorian dining room but used different designs to mimic the look. 

"And Jean Claude told me this was period accurate." The mayor complained. "Clearly he lacked consultants with proper qualifications when he designed this room."

"Only you." Zoe giggled as they waited for the valet to bring their car around.

"It wasn't my fault." He insisted. "He kept bragging about the design of the room. The historian in me couldn't remain silent."

"At least you were polite about it." She pointed out. "You didn't make him look foolish, and now he comes out of that dinner, feeling like he gained something. Be prepared to be a regular guest of the mayor."

"I don't mind sharing my knowledge. At least he was genuinely interested in history. The chief kept staring at your chest." He replied. The powerful AC in the private room made Zoe's nipples stand out, through her thin material of her dress.

"You noticed that too?" She shrugged. "He's always been like that ever since I joined the force. He stares at the few other female captains and sergeants when he thinks no one can notice."

"We all know he's an old pervert, but he's harmless." She whispered in his ear. "He can only look, you get to suck and play with them."

Zoe's simple sedan arrived at the driveway. He watched as his fiancé got into the passenger seat, and he had to admire the smooth skin of her back. He walked around the car and shook the valet's hand and slipped him a twenty.

"Thank you sir." The man replied with a smile.

"Thank you." He drove away and turned to his wife. "Where should we eat, because I'm still hungry."

 "Food truck?" Zoe suggested. "Something simple, I don't want to get anything on this dress."

They were lucky that the few spots that were usually used by the shops were free, and he gave his order to the food truck, ignoring the looks he was getting from the other tables.

Walking back to the table, he saw how Zoe was rubbing her arms and he removed his jacket and put it on her shoulders. He removed his tie, unbuttoned his dress shirt, and rolled up his sleeves as he felt the warm weather. 

"Thanks." Zoe smiled at him. She took the tie from his hands and inserted it inside his suit pocket

 They certainly stood out with their fancy clothes, but they were able to enjoy their meal in relative peace. A few of the police officers stopped by and talked to the captain, including some detectives.

"Jack?" He looked up from his dessert and saw Nolan approach him with Jessica Russo trailing behind.

"John." He stood up and greeted his fellow rookie. "Ms. Russo."

"Call me Jessica please." The redhead replied with a smile. "You dress up nicely. You look like you came from a Hollywood set."

"Thank you Jessica." He replied and turned to Zoe. "My fiancé helped me with my outfit."

"Fiance?" Jessica followed his gaze, and he saw the look of surprise when she saw his date.

"Is that… Captain Andersen?" Jessica asked. She gave him with a curious look. "She's your fiancé?"

"I put my leash on him as soon as I saw him." Zoe joked as she joined them. "Ms. Russo, Officer Nolan, enjoying the night?"

"We are." Jessica replied. "Congratulations on your engagement"

The two women sat together at the table, and he scooped up the trash they used and threw them in the bin.

"How was dinner with the mayor and the chief?" Nolan asked.

"It was okay, but the serving size of the meals is too small for my tastes." He explained. "I don't understand why you need a month in advance just to reserve a table in that place, I just couldn't see it."

"I was never a fan of those restaurants." Nolan shared. "It's practically robbery. I never trusted those Michelin star ratings."

"Where do you go out on dates?" He asked.

"We usually pick those off the wall family restaurants. If we wanted to get fancy we go to hotels." Nolan replied.

It was getting late, and they left Nolan and Jessica and arrived back at the apartment. They fell asleep quickly, both tired from the long day. 

They had an unspoken agreement with their behavior at the station. Despite being given an exemption to continue their relationship, he never visited her office, and she never summoned him unless he was with his fellow rookies or T.O.

They both knew many eyes were observing their behavior and they needed to prove they could maintain boundaries with their personal life and police work.

The briefing that morning went on as usual. Nolan even volunteered to be part of a protection detail on a witness. Grey initially denied Nolan since he was still a rookie, and his T.O. found protection detail boring. Bradford had suddenly decided to join Nolan, and Grey assigned Chen to Bishop on patrol for that day.

He and Lopez responded to a call about a suspect wrestling with a highway patrol cop. They were the nearest unit available and rushed to the scene.

"Police!" Lopez ran over and pulled the suspect off the cop. He helped him to his feet as Lopez quickly secured the suspect in cuffs.

"You're under arrest for assaulting a police officer." Lopez told the suspect.

"He's the one that should be arrested!" The suspect glared at the highway patrol cop. "He said he would rip off my ticket if I paid him $100 dollars!"

"That's not true!" The cop immediately denied the accusation.

"Like hell it is!" The suspect lunged at the cop, only to be pulled by Lopez.

"There's no use lying sir, there's body cam footage will show everything." He replied in an effort to protect a fellow officer. It was then that he noticed that the highway cop was not wearing his body camera. He didn't wear the utility belts that was standard for Highway patrol cops.

"Where's your body camera?" He asked.

The cop looked nervous. "I… I must have left it behind in my vehicle. I didn't have time to put it on."

The highway cop started walking to his shop when Lopez ordered him to stop. The cop ignored her and ran and he immediately chased after him.

"Routh! Fake cop!" Lopez called out.

Before the cop reached his vehicle he slammed him into his door. The fake cop fell down in a daze and he quickly started to cuff him.

"Please man, can't we talk about this?" The fake cop begged. "Cop to cop?"

"You're not a cop. Impersonating a police officer is a felony." Lopez replied as she removed her handcuffs from the other driver.

"I'm amazed at how detailed his uniform is." He admitted as he tossed the fake cop in a holding cell. The man kept on pleading that they let him go on the drive back to the station.

"You'd be surprised at how many fake cops are running around." Lopez informed him when they ate at a popular spot with kebabs for lunch. "Some want the respect from their community, while others do it for the money, like that guy. A few of those fake cops didn't make the cut in the academy."

He was listening to Lopez as she shared more stories about her encounters with fake cops when their table started shaking. The food trucks started to rock back and forth, and he felt the ground beneath his feet rumble.

It lasted for nearly thirty seconds as panicked civilians ran around. He could hear cries for help and looked around.

"Comms are down." Lopez informed him.

"Phones too." He checked his phone and saw the signal bar was at zero.

"We need to get to the station and report in." Lopez ordered. "See where we're needed the most."

He immediately agreed, since he started to worry about Zoe.

The drive to the station took longer than anticipated as traffic blocked most streets. When they reached the station and saw it was a mess, with fallen fixtures and shattered windows. Zoe was busy as she handed out orders while Grey looked over a map. They both had injuries, with Zoe having a cut on her arm while Grey had a long gash on his head but it looked they were already treated.

"Good, you're here." Zoe called them over.

"I've already dispatched units to these zones." The captain explained while she pointed at a large map on the table. "I need you to head to the Shaw Memorial and assist in maintaining order. There are reports that a few fights had broken out in that area."

"We've heard reports that they're overwhelmed over there." Grey added. "Bishop and Chen are at St. Stephens keeping an eye out. Be safe out there."

He was grateful that Lopez was her T.O. She had that intimidating presence and voice when needed to maintain order as she quickly organized lines in the emergency room. He was able to calm down more of the panicked patients demanding medical attention.

"Hey! Officer!"

He turned around to see an older blonde woman in a doctor's coat. "I need you to assess those that are coming in that need immediate treatment. If you see one, escort them to the E.R."

"Yes doctor." He replied and walked through the crowd, assessing those with injuries that he judged were in immediate danger. He ignored those bruises and surface wounds until he encountered a young teen slumped in the corner. He saw a jagged piece of glass was stuck in her shoulder and blood had soaked her shirt and jacket. He looked around and headed to the E.R.

The doctor was giving instructions as several other personnel rushed to take care of incoming patients.

"What is it?" He looked at her coat and saw her name embroidered on it. Grace Sawyer.

"There's a teen with a piece of glass stuck in her shoulder. She's bleeding badly, and I didn't want to move her."

"Good. Get that spinal board." She pointed to a stack that lined in the wall. He grabbed one and led the doctor to the girl.

"It's alright. What's your name?" The doctor asked, trying to calm down the terrified girl.

"Grace."

"That's my name too." The doctor replied. "Why don't we get that glass removed and take care of you."

"Okay… but my brother. Mom told me to pick him up from pre-school." The girl looked worried.

"Why don't you give his name, and I'll pick him up and bring him to your mom." He offered. The girl quickly gave the information and was soon carried out by Dr. Sawyer and a nurse.

"Officer Lopez." He called out to his T.O.

He quickly explained the situation and Lopez tossed him the keys to the shop.

"Keep me posted." Lopez ordered.

The pre-school was only a 5 minute drive from the hospital. Thankfully the pre-school only suffered superficial damage, and it was now surrounded by anxious parents who were picking up their children.

"I'm officer Routh. I'm here to pick up James." He informed the teacher. "His sister Grace is in the hospital, and she told me she was on her way to pick him up when she got injured."

"Is she okay?" The teacher asked in concern.

"She's getting treated right now by a doctor." He informed her. "She was worried about her brother."

"Right. Thank you Officer." The teacher opened the door to a play room, showing a little boy playing while a staff watched over him.

"James, this nice Officer is here to bring you home." The teacher explained. The boy looked up and stared at him with some apprehension.

"Hi James, I'm Officer Jack Routh, but you can call me Officer Jack." He kneeled down so that the boy could see him better. "I'm here to bring you home. Your sister Grace asked me to."

"Do you have a police car?" James asked.

"Sure do." He replied with a friendly smile. "In fact, I used one to get here. Do you like to ride in a police car?"

James quickly nodded in excitement.

"Then get your things, but don't forget to put your toys away first."

The little boy rushed to put back the toys he played with on their shelves and picked up his bag hanging from a wall designed for children.

"Do you want me to carry you or do you want to walk?" He asked.

James held out his hand, causing the teacher to laugh. "I guess that's his answer." She remarked.

He picked up James and carried him with the boy's arms wrapped around his neck. The boy proudly waved at the classmates he still saw on the way out.

"Would you like me to turn on the siren?" He asked the boy as he sat him on the passenger seat.

"Yeah!"

He informed Lopez of his status and then switched on the siren, causing James to clap his hands in delight.

The mother looked confused when his shop arrived at the house. She was standing outside the door looking worried.

"James!" She cried in relief when she saw him through the window waving at her and rushed to the side of shop before they even stopped.

"Grace sent me." He explained to the worried mother who was hugging her son in relief. The mother thanked him and he returned back to the station and resumed his duties. It was a long day, and he only had water and biscuits and was starving as their shift ended.

Angela Lopez looked worn out too, and they both sighed in relief when he parked the shop into the bay.

"You did good with that kid and his sister." Lopez informed him.

"I may have violated some procedure when I picked up James from pre-school." He admitted.

"What did you do?" Lopez asked.

"I sat him on the passenger seat, and turned on the siren." He replied. "James loved it."

"That's it?" Lopez shook her head and left him alone.

Seeing that Zoe was busy with meetings with brass regarding the earthquake, he decided to join John and Lucy as they ate their dinner. John's was the most exciting, as he and Bradford stopped a cartel hit team from kidnapping their witness, who in turn was planning to betray them anyway and escape.

Lucy's experience was complicated, as she had to arrest a patient of her father who broke his arm. Lucy shared that it caused a significant rift in their already frayed relationship as her father distrusts cops and believes the justice system was broken.

Wade Grey

He was enjoying dinner with his wife and friend. He knew why Luna invited Jessica, she wanted him to retire from the force.

Luna asked about Jessica's job, and his friend shared some details of her work and her schedule.

"That sounds like a wonderful job." Luna gave him a meaningful glance.

"My job as a sergeant is wonderful too." He replied as he cut his steak.

"You and Captain Andersen handled the crisis well." Jessica observed. "It was impressive watching the station and the men recover from the earthquake and start working again in minutes."

"How is Andersen doing?" Luna asked. "Is she giving special treatment to her hot and young fiancé?"

"No, they barely interact in the station. If anything, she's harder on Routh than on Chen and Nolan." He observed. The captain personally read the reports from the rookies after they made arrests and made more corrections on Routh's written reports compared to the other two.

"How are the rookies doing?" His wife asked.

He paused as he chewed his steak. He swallowed it and took a sip of wine before answering. "They're different from each other, so they each have their strengths and weaknesses. "

"John Nolan believes in the kindness in people and tends to talk people down but he's not afraid of confrontation. I could see now what Andersen meant when she asked for him to be assigned at Mid-Wilshire." He shared, leaning back on his seat.

"What about the other two?" Jessica asked.

"Lucy Chen is more empathic with people and can read them well. She's ambitious and smart. She's going to make a fine detective one day if she passes probation."

"And Routh?"

"Jack Routh? He's a brilliant cop. Smart, decisive, and insightful but not afraid to take action. But there's another side of him, one that shows up when he's pushed to the edge. One that's lethal and terrifying. And then he turns to a bulldozer and lets nothing get in his way."

"Jack Routh, terrifying?" Luna laughed. "Are you sure we're talking about the same person?"

"I did see his body cam footage when he rescued Andersen and Nolan." Jessica added. "He moved the way I see Navy Seals do when they hunt. I can't believe he didn't come from the military."

"That's why I think he'll do great in metro." He replied and stared at Jessica. "Unless the F.B.I. gets to him first."

"He's the type of agent they usually recruit." Jessica nodded. "An academic with unique insight and the skills necessary when faced with danger. I already heard whispers from Homeland Security that they're already looking at his record and marked him as a potential recruit."

"DHS and FBI?" He shook his head in amazement. Jack was going to get busy when he finally graduates from probation.