Academy

Inactive

O'Malley dropped me off at my Papa's Mission Bay apartment, which was thankfully empty - I didn't want him to see me in this condition.

As O'Malley waited in the car I showered, the water a little hotter than usual. I felt a familiar numbness as I scrubbed my body vigorously with the bright yellow square of an Italy towel. Detachment was the only way I knew how to deal with things, and it was what I was doing now to keep myself safe.

I had a spare uniform in the back of my closet, but I wanted to be comfortable. I decided to wear a black v-neck long sleeved shirt with the ACME Triangle of Excellence printed on the back. Pairing this with a black pair of terry joggers, I laced up my white Keds and pulled my still wet hair back in a high bun.

"Feeling better?" O'Malley asked when I re-joined him downstairs.

"Much."

"Time to check in with the boss, then."

The Agency liked to debrief as soon as possible, because time alters memory, and information about active situations loses its value quickly. We met with Chase Devineaux once more, O'Malley explaining not only being able to pin the two men for their acts against me, but also being able to rescue several girls that were in the home during the arrest. He also then told him about the conversation I was able to record, and Gil's upcoming plan for the shipment expected at the Pier next week. Chase regarded both of us over folded hands.

"Good work, Sean." Then to me, "I sent you out there as a Gumshoe and you came back here almost a Detective."

"You sound almost impressed." I replied.

"We'll save that for when you make it back a little more intact and play someone a little further from yourself."

I blinked, slightly hurt, and his face incrementally softened.

"Your instructors will take great pride in what you've done, as should you, Trainee Rouge. I'm giving you a week of medical leave. Make sure to rest... because you'll need to work double time to catch up when you return."

I left his office scowling, and O'Malley smirked.

"Take what you can get, Red. Compliments from the boss are like getting blood from a stone."
---
I spent the next two days sleeping, as the adrenaline finally wore off and I began to crash. By my third day I felt good enough to start walking around the house. My Papa, Shadow Hawkins, was working from home. His heavily lined face brightened once he noticed I was out of my pajamas.

"Salut, ma cherie. You had a visitor." He showed me a bouquet of yellow and pink roses that he had put in a sea glass vase by the door. I opened up the card, where Paul and David had signed their names underneath the words 'Get Well Soon'. "He seemed a little nervous, but I like him if you do."

I rolled my eyes. "One is my roommate, the other is my friend, and I don't think either one of them sees me as more than that as well."

"Bon. I have a few more years of peace left before I have to worry about those things, then."

"Papa."

He held up his hands in mock resignation. "Your Instructor came by as well with something for you to work on. I left it on the counter near the mail for when you're ready."

"Merci." I said, retrieving a thick envelope with my name on it in Amiraj's handwriting and sitting at the bar to open it.

"Sean and I spoke a little when he was here, dropping it off. I think he was hoping to see you in person."

"What for?" I asked, lifting the seal carefully, greeted by the sight of a light blue folder with the Agency's insignia.

He sighed heavily, and I turned around to look at him.

"The undercover Detective you were with wondered how much time left you had at the Academy. Seems as if he wants to work with you."

I grinned, pleasantly surprised. "Well that's good, isn't it?"

Papa shook his head."Euh... undercover is a slippery slope, Rouge, for several reasons. It's easy to fall into the darkness and lose yourself when you're at the edge of it all the time."

"Oh."

He came over to me, putting a reassuring arm on my shoulder. "Not that it means it will happen to you. Just something to think about."

I bit my lip and pulled out the folder. I was disappointed in my father's reaction, and he knew it.

"Remember what I always told you? When I first joined ACME, I was hoping to be in Violent Crimes, but I ended up in Aviation and you see how well it's gone for me."

I smiled a little - Papa was head of the Aviation Unit for years.
"Just keep your eyes and mind open, Red."

I nodded, and he kissed my forehead.

"I'll leave you to get started on that." He tapped the counter. "Let me know if I can help with anything."

"I will." I said, opening it. The first page was typed instructions, explaining this week's objective.

There was no such thing as a 'cold case' according to ACME, as all investigations are considered pending until their closure. However, cases that seemed as if they reached a wall for the time being were merely deemed 'inactive'. These cases are often cycled through agents, in hopes that someone could find a new lead, and now it was my turn.

It was a missing persons case, which originated in Oregon, but there was evidence that the person had travelled down the coast to Oakland, but unsure as to why. The person in question was Choi Lee, 26 years old, described as a reserved but seemingly content individual, who worked at the local hospital as an OR nurse before disappearing four years ago. His phone, wallet and car were found ditched on the side of the highway, and the last trace of him was from the account of a trucker that stated he had picked up a jittery hitchhiker who had asked him to stop at a rest area neighboring the city of Oakland and never returned.

The trucker was thoroughly investigated and no longer a person of interest. He did not make any unusual or large transactions leading up to his disappearance. His social media and online history also seemed to turn up nothing of concern, but I noticed his laptop was logged and kept as evidence, and I figured that meant someone who had touched the case before me had a hunch about it. I understood their thinking. By all accounts, Choi had a pleasant demeanor, but few truly knew him. Online he may have felt more comfortable to be his true self.

The last agent before me noted that Choi was known to work double shifts often, but without any suspicious activities or debts, could only figure that he was trying to save up money to move out or pay off his student loans like most people do. Still, I turned that over in my mind a few times.

Everyone is driven by a motive, which often boiled down to four things - sex, power, money, and fear. He obviously was concerned about money, and was saving a lot of it too. I thought, looking back at his bank statements. He had more than enough to afford to live on his own, and he wasn't missing payments on his student loans or credit cards. So why?