Genetic Anomaly

Chapter 7

The Informant

Officer Holsberry

I sat anticipating a call at any moment. I was on edge since these calls were vital to my job and to the lives they saved. We didn't know who the mystery informant was, but we damn well praised the lord every second for their existence. When we, more like me, first got the calls, I thought they were prank calls. That was until every prediction the caller described in incredible detail came true. The victim, the crime, the criminal, the location. Every little detail down to what clothes the perpetrators were wearing. We didn't know who was calling, not even our best networkers could trace back the calls to the informant. All we knew was that they... that was the thing, we didn't know anything. Even if they were male or female. It was incredibly frustrating, but we didn't want to risk stopping the calls. They saved so many lives from horrific fates. I had heard the horrible truths and then seen photos of the results. With the help of the mysterious caller, over the last 2 years, we'd arrested at least one petty criminal like thieves or juvenal drug dealers once a week and even busted a huge criminal chain once every few months.

Because of their information, we were able to apprehend the criminals before anyone was hurt and arrest them easily. The real trouble was after the arrest, coming up with appropriate charges, but with the help of the informant we found evidence and witnesses who helped put those criminals behind bars for a very long time. We saved so many innocents, it made the job completely worth the horrors and mind numbing hours.

I sighed. I hadn't gotten a call for the last 3 days and I was expecting one very soon. The calls were always random so I always had to be on my guard to receive a call. Just as I was about to get up to get a coffee and plow into the mountain of paperwork the police stations submitted every month to the core's criminal centre, I felt the vibration and special ring tone. So eager to answer the phone, I nearly dropped my coffee.

"Hello. Officer Holsberry answering." I said into the speaker. Listening for a moment, I waited for the robotic voice to reply.

"Good day, Officer. We have a kidnapping and human trafficking gang in Sector Gallowswade, segment Mulberry District D. Victim: Bethany Stenford. Aged 27. Works at a small banking firm as a secretary. Kidnapped from a Tuesday dinner out with co-workers on Wester Road, segment Westernpeak. 3 kidnappers. One seen properly after reawakening. Brown light hair, amber eyes, looked aged between 25-30. Location is in human trafficking ring. Other captives and other instigators. Non-consensual sexual intercourse. Be warned. High risk level compound job and rescue." The voice replied. I pressed the stop on the recorder. Instead of rushing and risking the loss of information, I used a recorder to keep note of all the information and didn't even try to right it all down.

The Head Officer popped his head round the canteen's doors looking expectantly at me. I just nodded in an affirmative. The boss shouted at everyone to get moving since we had another case from the informant.

~*~

We all sat at a huge conference desk listening intently as the recorder replayed the information.

"Good job there, Berry," Said the Chief while he pat my shoulders, "We got another big one men. A rated 5 criminal level crime. Approval to shot before questions." The justice system devised a scale of when officers could use their weapons or not, the lowest was one while the highest was 8.

"I thank that little informant every single day. They've saved more lives than anyone could imagine. I wish we could find them and thank them, and maybe get them to work for us." I sighed. The Boss always reminisced at having whoever was on the other end of the line working for us. We could finally take an accomplished bow. However, we could go to the Core. Well, we could, but it wouldn't be the greatest plan.

Yes, every one of my fellow officers had pledged to the Core's Justice, but we were still wary of the Core, everyone was. We didn't inform the Core of our little gift, for if they found out such a person existed, they would obviously use any means necessary to obtain such a rare gift. So we had voted on keeping the informant a sector secret. Only the Officers knew. We just put our luck to having incredible officers who risked their lives under cover.

"A Tuesday, in Sector Gallowswade. We're only a 30 minute from the Sector. What do we say?" The Chief and all the other officers were brainstorming an adequate way to approach the fact we knew of a future crime in their Sector.

"An under cover cop heard from the gang in our Sector that there was a huge criminal Gang in Sector Gallowswade?" One of the young newbies on the job asked. It wasn't a bad idea, just how were we going to explain where we knew they would next strike. A different Sector criminal wouldn't know another Sector Gang's plan in that much detail. Sometimes, in desperate cases like this, we gave the secret up to the Head of another Sectors Police. We would show them the recording and then they would swear to keep the knowledge secret for the sake of the Informant and future innocents. It was a last resort though. We just couldn't risk the Informant.

I sighed. "I think it's one of those." I said resigned. This crime was big and urgent enough to risk the secret. There were dozens involved and dozens of victims going through unimaginable horrors.

The Boss sighed as well. He really hated putting his little good luck charm at risk but he knew that the crime needed the risk. We would be able to save so many lives and futures. "Yeh. I guess. Holsberry give me your phone."

My personal mobile was the only secure line we could use to talk about the Informant and information given. The Informant had said they had blocked any interception coming from their line and mine and also that my phone couldn't be hacked even when calling others. It was the safest phone in the whole Sector, knowing the Core couldn't listen into any calls made on it.

I handed my phone over and waited as the Boss looked up Sector Gallowswade Police Centre's main line. We all waited in anticipation as the phone rang. Someone answered and the Boss explained we had information on specific criminal activities in their Sector. We arranged a meeting with their Chief of police at their Station within the hour. Me, the Boss and another long time officer would be coming to explain the situation.