It was early dawn, the light of the sun poking through the night’s clouds as an alarm buzzed and a lamp shot on, brightening the bedroom that sat high above the city center. Abigail Rally shot herself out of bed, wearing a dopey, toothy grin as she practically ran to her bathroom, brushing her teeth with the speed of a caffeine-pumped child. She went about her morning routine at a blistering pace, fixing her long blonde hair into a ponytail and quickly putting on her Intergalactic Police Department issued T-shirt and sweatpants.
She quickly stuffed her things into an old purse, scrambling out the door to the sound of her mind racing with excited thoughts. She ran down the hallways of her rundown apartment building, probably waking her neighbors as she crashed into the elevator. Her feet bounced up and down, her hands shook like an earthquake. The elevator’s jazzy soundtrack pierced her ears as she watched the floor number tick down like a rocket ship’s countdown.
8… 7… 6…5…4…3…2…
She burst out the door as soon as it opened, crashing through the lobby until she was stopped by a short figure looking up at.
“What do you think you’re doin’?” The woman barked. She was a middle aged thing, barely up to Abby’s waist in height. Her hair was a dark shade of gray, cut short like an army private.
“Oh, Miss Katrina! I’m just getting to work!”
“I could hear ya running up there.”
Abby chuckled awkwardly, “Sorry… I’m just a little excited!”
“I can see that.”
“I don’t mean to be rude, Miss Katrina, but I’ve gotta get to work.”
The older woman stopped her, “What time do you need to be in?”
“Eight o’clock sharp.”
She looked up at a nearby clock, “Sweetheart, it’s 5:30.”
“I know, but my mom always said that early is on time, so!”
She soon ran out the door, quickly walking down the quiet city street. She saw the sun starting to come out of the clouds as the crisp morning smog filled her lungs. She passed by a sleeping homeless man (at least, she hoped he was sleeping), and a pile of junk sitting by a nearby dumpster. The city’s projects soon began to be washed out by the lights of the square, filled with billboards for cyborg implants and soft drinks.
Hanging monorails flew above her head as she walked towards the train station, buying herself an intergalactic ticket and boarding the first rail car she could. Abby made sure to sit next to a window, sitting in between a man in a nice suit and a woman with a toddler. Across from her sat a pretty cyborg, androgynous in appearance. Whoever they were, they were beautiful, the rookie cop fighting every muscle in her body to not stare.
She focused her eyes out the window as the train started moving, flying high above the city’s desolate streets before it stalled at another station, connecting her to the cross-galaxy railcar she’d need to board next. Abby saw the cyborg stand up from their seat as it came to a halt, getting out just like she was. They waited in the same space, the rookie cop feeling her hand shake as she approached them slowly, trying not to make any sudden movements.
Should I…
No.
That’d be rude.
But she… he? Whatever, they were cute, did it matter?
“Hi!” Abby shot up, causing the cyborg to jump. “Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s fine.” Their voice was cold, indifferent. It was robotic in tone, which wasn’t much of a surprise, but it also meant that Abby still couldn’t gleam much from them.
“I’m Abby, what’s your name?”
“Cara.”
The rookie cop looked into their icy blue eyes. “Cara… that’s a pretty name.”
“Thank… you?”
“Where’re you headed?”
The cyborg turned their head, “Work.”
Abby’s face changed to a wide grin, “Where do you work?”
“IGPD headquarters.”
“Hey! I’m going there too! We could commute together!”
I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”
Abby smiled, “Oh, don’t be like that! It’ll be fun! We can talk about girl stuff!”
Cara raised a robotic eyebrow, “Girl… stuff?”
“Yeah! Y’know, boys, what happened on The Robo-Bachelor last night, stuff like that!”
“I see.”
The rookie cop wrapped an arm around their shoulder, “What do you say? I think it’ll be fun! I’ve never had a commuting buddy before.”
“I… I guess we can.” Cara clutched her shoulder slightly.
“Awesome!” She shouted as the next railcar screeched into the station. “That must be our car, you ready?”
Cara nodded, Abby grabbed her arm. She pulled her across the station and into the nearly empty car. The rookie cop sat down against a window, the cyborg sat down beside her, looking down at their feet. Abby’s legs kicked up and down as she looked out at the passing stars, watching the ships fly by on the highway. It was the first time she’d ever seen it, her hazel eyes shining as the light from the stars beamed through the glass.
“You must really like looking at this view every day.” She said with a hint of wonder.
“I don’t really care all that much.” Cara responded coldly.
“Really? I’d kill to see the stars every single day.”
“It doesn’t really matter all that much, and don’t kill anyone for that, it’s very illegal.”
Abby chuckled. “I was just joking, I think the stars are pretty, that’s all. You can’t see them where I live, the smog’s too thick and the lights are too bright.”
The rookie kept her eyes locked out the window.
“You must be one of the new officers.” The cyborg spoke up.
“Oh, yeah! I am! How could you tell?”
“You’re young in appearance, very excitable, upbeat. No veteran cop would be as happy as you.”
Abby chuckled, “I’ll bet they’re all cynical and mean, huh?”
“Cynicism seems to be a common factor, yes.”
Abby stared at the stars some more, letting out a sigh. “I don’t wanna turn out like that, y’know?”
“It would be nice if you didn’t.”
“Really?” The rookie cop asked, surprised by the shift in tone.
“Morale is always low. It would be better if there was at least one positive presence there.”
The young cop smiled, “I’ll do my best!”
Cara’s face remained stoic, “Of course, there’s not much I can do about it. I’m just an assistant, after all. Besides,” They ran a hand on one of her robotic implants, “It’s not like I’m some beacon of positivity myself.”
“Are you… not happy?”
“I never said I wasn’t happy.”
“Oh.”
The cyborg looked down at their feet again, “But you shouldn’t let my musings cloud your mind, you should stay focused. It’s your first day, yes? That’s exciting.”
“Yeah! I’ve only been dreaming about this since I was little!”
“Is that so?”
Abby smiled as she reminisced, “I remember being a little kid, playing outside with one of those crappy toy guns. My brothers would all be the gangsters and I’d be the cop, and I’d shoot ‘em.” She laughed, “It was silly, but y’know, it was fun.”
“I see.”
“Do you have any siblings?”
“Depends on your definition of siblings.”
Abby rubbed her chin, “Well, when I think of a sibling, I think of someone with the same parents as me, like I have four brothers.”
“Then by that definition I have 277.”
The rookie cop’s eyes widened, “Oh.”
“I am model number 168, there were 109 models made after me, 167 made before me-“
“I think I get it.”
The cyborg stopped.
“It’s alright, I get a little carried away when I talk too. My mom says it’s because I have a lot of things on my mind.” Abby chuckled.
“You seem like a very sociable person.”
“Thanks!”
Cara looked out at the stars themselves, “You’re certainly the nicest rookie I’ve ever met. Most of them are narcissistic imbeciles.”
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“Uh… thanks?”
“They rush head first into battle, praying for valor, and all they get instead is a bullet to the skull and a silent funeral.”
Abby gulped, “That…”
“Why did you want to be a cop?” Cara asked suddenly.
“My dad was one, he would always tell stories about catching bad guys and cuffing gangsters.”
The cyborg stopped her there, “The three most common reasons are a familial connection, like yours, a wish for fame, or a wish for fortune. Do you want to be famous, Miss…”
“Abby.”
“I wanted a last name.”
“Oh! Rally.”
Cara stared the rookie cop down, “Let me repeat myself, do you want to be famous, Miss Rally?”
“I…”
“It’s a simple question, really. Yes or no.”
Abby gave it some thought, “No, why would I?”
“Fame leads to fortune, fortune leads to prosperity, prosperity leads to happiness. It’s a simple cycle.”
“But-“
“Every analysis of human behavior shows a vast need for attention, for some sort of spotlight. Miss Rally, you seem like a kind soul, but you can only suppress those primal desires for so long before they consume you. You can be honest with me, I won’t judge you, I’ve met far worse.”
The rookie cop felt her hands shake, her body tensing as her back leaned against the cold metal walls of the railcar. “I… don’t wanna talk anymore.”
“I see I’ve disturbed you.” Cara responded with a stoic glare.
Abby hesitated, “I-it’s fine.”
“We should be there soon, Miss Rally.”
The young officer grabbed her arm, trying to calm herself as the stars began to fade into the distance. She stared at Cara, not saying a word. Their white hair flowed down her back like the waves on a sea, their robotic implants not even noticeable in profile. Abby couldn’t keep her mind on one thought, her brain running through every word said to her like an audiobook. She tried to take her mind off it, but that was a fruitless endeavor, only seeming to make the thoughts louder to yell over the ones she tried to replace them with.
Finally, the railcar came to another screeching halt. Cara got out of the car quickly, walking halfway out the door before Abby could even stand. The rookie cop followed her to a massive security checkpoint, where a group of uniformed men checked her things to make sure she had nothing of danger hiding in her purse. They let her through without a fuss, and soon she found herself standing in the lobby of the bustling police station, people, cyborgs, androids, dashing by on rows upon rows of skywalks.
She let out a particularly dopey grin as she approached the front desk, looking down at an adorably inhuman robot sitting behind a computer.
“Hi-“
“State your name, please.”
“Uh… Abigail, Abigail Rally.”
The android swiftly typed something, “Would you repeat that?”
“Abigail Rally.”
“I’m sorry, your name is not in our system.”
“I’m one of the new officers, is that why?”
The android’s unwavering smile turned towards her, “I’m sorry, your name is not in our system.”
Abby started to get a bit frustrated, “I’m in the system, I’m a new officer, my name is Abigail Rally.”
“I’m sorry, your name is not in our system.”
The rookie cop nearly screamed until she saw a flashing red button sitting on the desk in front of her, conveniently saying “TECH SUPPORT” in big bolded letters. She slammed her hand on it as fast as she could, the android’s inhuman grin staring her down once more.
“You have pressed the tech support button. What do you need help with today?”
“Oh god…”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.”
“I’m in the system, goddammit!”
Abby slammed the button again, then again, then again, in fact, she lost count of how many times she bashed it with her palm but it had to be in double-digits before someone saw her.
“What seems to be the problem, Miss?” A man in a ball cap asked as she was one step away from ripping the android’s head from its circuitry.
“Oh, nothing! I’m fine!” She barely kept from shouting.
“Lemme guess, robo-problems?”
Abby stepford smiled, “Oh, just some minor ones.”
“These damn things,” He scoffed, “They’re pieces of junk is what they are. They’re twenty years old, can’t hear straight, can barely type straight. I swear, if someone somewhere doesn’t cough up the money to reboot these old ladies, I might rip out whatever hair I’ve got left.”
The man pulled a battery out of the robot, its smile going dark as he rummaged through the desk.
“What were you needing?”
“I was trying to get past the lobby.”
The tech guy hummed, “You must be new, just go to the chief’s office and I’ll get you all set up when these grannies get back up and running again.”
“Thank you!”
Abby waved as she passed the man by, walking into the main room of the police station. It was exactly what she’d dreamed it would be, with scanners going off on every wall, and people running in every direction. She walked past cubicle after cubicle of robots taking phone calls until she asked someone where the chief’s office was. They told her it was upstairs, to the left, and that she couldn’t miss it.
She went up the first flight of stairs, but she didn’t see it. She looked left, right, center, she even walked it back and forth a couple times to see if she had missed it, and when she didn’t find it again, she went up the next flight of stairs just to end up repeating the process. She began to grow annoyed until she asked someone where it was again, this person telling her that it was on the very top floor. A welcome correction, to be sure, but still kind of annoying.
Abigail hopped into a crowded elevator, hitting the top floor button while the group inside of it gave her a glare. She waited there for what felt like hours, watching each person get off one by one, until finally it was her turn. She excitedly stepped off the lift to see a dark, empty hallway, devoid of decor or bustle.
The pristine white walls of the building were now coated in the cover of night, her footsteps the only noise she could hear. She began to feel her hands shake as she trekked through the narrow corridor, hearing metal patter as she approached the only door that stood at the end of the hall. It was unmarked, with a black door flame and the blinds shut tight. She approached it hesitantly, tiptoeing forward before knocking on it with a purr.
She heard noise coming from the room, a gruff voice speaking, a robotic one responding, a familiar robotic one at that. She waited patiently with her shaking limbs until the door finally cracked open, icy blue eyes staring at her from the inside.
“Oh, it’s you.” Cara’s stoic voice whispered. “What are you doing up here?”
“The better question is: what are you doing up here?” Abby joked, not amusing the cyborg.
“My job. Now, answer my question.”
“I’m up here to see the chief, this is her office, right? I’ve been on a bit of a goose chase and-“
“The chief isn’t accepting any visitors.”
Abigail stared at Cara, “I was told to come up here.”
“By whom?”
“Uh… the tech support guy?”
The cyborg pinched the bridge of their nose, “Not good enough.”
“Please just let me see her, I’ll be quick, I promise!”
“No.”
She made the puppy dog eyes, “Pretty please~”
“No.”
“Pretty please with a cherry on top~”
“No, and if you do that again, I will break your nose.”
Abby‘s eyes widened, “Okay, Jeez. No need to get feisty.”
“Just get out of here, Miss Rally.” She sighed.
“Why?”
“There is rookie orientation in an hour, you will see the chief then.”
“But-“
Cara’s tone raised, “Leave.”
Abigail sighed as she stepped away from the door, watching it slam in her face with a huff. She walked the dark corridor with her head down, running a hand through her ponytailed hair as she reentered the elevator she was seemingly just in. Her thoughts ran wild again, screaming at her in cacophonous horror as she tried to bleach them from her brain. She cursed herself all the way down the empty elevator, walking back out into the main lobby with her expression suddenly changed from a spirited smile to a somewhat dejected glare.
She sat down on an uncomfortable chair, watching the world pass by for what felt like hours, calming herself down with a bit of schadenfreude. The intrusive thoughts began to dissipate into the abyss of her mind as her wait dragged along. She saw a group of officers go out on patrol, another brought in a box of donuts. Finally, she heard an announcement go out over the intercom, calling her and all of her rookie compatriots out to the training grounds.
Abby walked around the lobby, following another young officer out the back door and into a wide patch of dirt and sand. It was filled to the brims with all kinds of activities: a shooting range that stood against a wide brick wall, and an obstacle course standing tall above the ground beneath their feet. There were nine rookies, four girls, five guys, each with a differing amount of confidence. The guy walking in front of her was bragging to his friend, the girl behind her was talking with a nasty shake, and somewhere in the middle was herself, walking alone amongst the crowd of her own comrades.
Her and her fellow new officers were lined up against a nearby wall, shoulder-to-shoulder. She was stood next to two guys, both of them looking her over as an intimidating presence entered their view.
“Good morning.” Her voice bellowed, giving all of them goosebumps. “Welcome to the Intergalactic Police Department.”
She was a towering figure, wearing a freshly ironed uniform and her fiery orange hair up in a tidy ponytail. She had a particularly nasty scar across her right eye, its iris a fading shade of gray.
“It is my honor as chief of police to officially welcome all of you to your duties. This is a dangerous profession, as I’m sure you all know. Your bravery is commended by myself, and my fellow officers.”
She approached the rookie at the end of the line, looking down at her with a stoic glare. “Now, who here can recite the oath you took upon graduating from the academy?”
There was a tense silence between all of them, the chief tapping her foot in the dirt until Abby finally spoke up.
“I swear on my life and limb that it is my duty to protect and serve the poor, the sick, and the innocent, so help me god.” The blonde shouted, earning glares from her fellow rookies.
“Very good, Miss Rally.”
The chief walked over to her spot on the wall, giving her a slight smile as she handed her a shining golden badge, the IGPD seal brandished on it Abby’s eyes lit up at the sight, her mind doing everything in its power to stop her from jumping up and down like a child on Christmas Day.
“THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Oh, I mean… thank you… your majesty?”
“You can call me Chief.”
“Chief! Chief, right, thank you Chief.”
Azalea chuckled under her breath as she handed out the rest of the badges, the other newbies not saying a word as she walked back to her spot in front of them.
“You will all be assigned partners shortly. Your first patrols will be scheduled as soon as partners are assigned.” She turned her head around, beckoning a familiar figure forward. “Cara, can you give our new recruits their paperwork?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good.”
The Chief didn’t even acknowledge them as she turned on her heel to go back into the building, leaving the cyborg alone to hand out stacks of paperwork to the nervous recruits. She went down the line, giving each of them their filings until she reached Abby. Abby waved at them awkwardly, getting only a stare from the assistant who handed her her sheets.
“Miss Rally.” Cara spoke up with a blunt tone.
“Hmm?”
“The chief wishes to speak to you privately.”
The rookie cop was taken aback, but still smiled, “Tell her I’ll be there in a little bit.”
Cara didn’t respond, instead kept moving down the line, Abby’s eyes still following them as she continued down her course. Eventually, the assistant finished their duties, leaving the rookies to their own devices besides the blonde, who followed her back up to the chief’s office, feeling a pervasive sense of deja vu as she reentered the dark hallways that led to the desolate workroom. She stared at the door that had just shut in front of her, the same one she had been refused entry to just an hour or so prior. Abby took in some deep breaths as she worked up her courage, knocking on the gate with vigor.
She took a couple steps back from it, expecting it to swing open with the face of a perpetually stoic cyborg, but instead when the door creaked ajar, it was the chief herself looking down at her, her cloudy eye somehow shimmering in the dim light of the hall.
“There you are.” Her voice bellowed through the empty corridor. “Please, come in.”
Abby was allowed in by the tall woman, who moved out of her way as she entered the sprawling office space. It was a wide, dark room, with minimal decoration besides a couple pictures on her desk. Cara was noticeably absent, which made the rookie cop both relieved and a bit nervous.
“I heard that you were the one who knocked on my door.” She stared a dagger into Abby’s eyes.
“I’m sorry, miss! It won’t happen again!”
“It’s a mild misunderstanding, I’m sure it’ll be corrected.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
The chief kept staring at her, looking her up, down, and all around.
“Chief?” The rookie asked sheepishly.
“Hmm?”
“Why’d you call me in here?”
Azalea hummed, “Just to talk. I haven’t seen you since you were… what? Five? Six, maybe?”
“Somewhere around there.”
“You were barely tall enough to see over my thigh.”
Abby chuckled, “Yeah…”
“You know, when your father said he had a child, I assumed you’d be some rambunctious little thing, but no, there you were, outside on the training ground playing in the sand.”
“That sounds like me alright.”
“I feel like I know you more than I think, if I remember right, he’d always give a detailed account of every step you took.”
The rookie laughed, she didn’t really know how to respond, but she could feel her pale skin turn bright red. “Well, he does like to brag…”
“But anyway, I am glad you’re here. Those things I said out there aren’t just pre-prepared niceties.”
“I’m glad to be here too, y’know, I mean, I’ve been dreaming of this since… well… the last time you saw me.”
The chief let out a rare smile, “You’re going to make me feel ancient.”
Abby smiled as well, but it stalled as she noticed the chief’s demeanor quickly change back to a stoic face, her robotic fingers tapping her old wooden desk.
“But, enough chit-chat, I think it’s time I give you my little speech.”
“Speech?”
“Your father and I may have had a professional relationship in the past, and I may reminisce, but do know that I am still your superior officer, and you will do as I say, when I say it. We are not friends, buddies, bros, I am the chief of police, and you are a rookie. I hope I’ve made myself clear.”
The rookie officer nodded, “Yes, ma’am, though I kinda already knew all that.”
“I’m just putting it into words. It’s not a personal issue, at least, not yet.” Azalea stared a dagger at her, “Your partner has been assigned, by the way. I wish you luck on your first patrol, Miss Rally.”
“Thank you!”
“Good luck.”
The chief stood up at her desk, putting a metallic hand out for Abby to shake. She took it, feeling its cold embrace wash over her flesh as she walked out of the room, another feeling of deja vu filling her while she retraced her steps back through the dark corridor, down the elevator, and back into the bright and bustling lobby. She noticed her fellow new cops all crowding around a wide bulletin board, chattering amongst themselves as she poked her head into the huddle. On the board was a white piece of paper, labeled “PARTNERS” in typed title text.
The paper had all their names listed in alphabetical order, each of them with another name right beside in bold. Abby couldn’t really see through the gathering horde, stepping to the back as she waited her turn to view her future partner. She waited, and waited, and waited as the crowd never seemed to scatter, all hanging around and whispering to themselves. The blonde slowly made her way away from the throng, walking around some more until the whole room stopped at a presence.
A silhouette stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at all the cubicle workers and rookie cops. The clatter of heels made its way down the harrowing staircase, giving Abby a better view of the woman. She was average height, with brown skin and flowing black hair that went all directions. She wore what looked like an unbuttoned trenchcoat, a black tank top underneath it for good measure. Abby was enamored by the woman, who somehow made wearing aviator sunglasses indoors look cool.
“Alright.” She said with a bite, “Which one of you scumbags is… Abby-gail?”
Abby raised her in excitement, feeling butterflies flutter in her gut, “Me! Me! That’s me!”
The woman whipped her head around at the shouting rookie, feeling her own gut sink as she saw her.
“Shit.”
“I’m Abby Rally, at your service!” Abby sang as she sauntered over who called her name. “Are you…?”
“Your new partner.”
The blonde’s eyes sparkled as her face contorted into a wide smile. “Oh my god oh my god oh my god-“
“Shut it!” Her new partner scoffed, Abby made a zip-up motion at her mouth. “Just… come with me, kid. I’ll give you the tour.
The rookie could barely contain herself as her new partner beckoned her to follow, both of them walking up the rickety stairs as they went off to see the whole building. Abby’s butterflies got bigger and bigger, her anxieties’ muffled screams being drowned out by all the excitement in her mind. She was practically jumping up and down as her veteran partner looked back, rolling her eyes as she kept moving forward. Abby, however, didn’t seem to notice. She felt like a child on Christmas as she followed her partner like a puppy.
This was gonna be the most exciting day of her life.