“BANG, BANG.”
“YEE HAW. Welcome to the inner city of East Diamond Gate, make sure to keep your valuables safe or you might just lose em. Stay safe and enjoy your stay in the crime capital of the world.”
That Traveling ad played repeatedly through the subway cart as we rode into the city. It played every five minutes and I was beginning to remember the script. An older small, chubby cowboy kept walking on screen with two little fake revolver pistols and a pessimistic smile on his face.
I hadn’t been to the city in a while, it’s never been in my interests. The city’s always been nothing but a memory I’ve allowed to fade away. The jobs do pay better though due to increased risk, higher reward bullshit. The last time I stepped foot in the city was when I returned my badge and gun to the department and left. Leaving the department wasn’t hard for me, I had no friends there, every week someone I knew had been killed while on duty so new fresh and eager guys would come in and in a week or two they had some new guys replacing them. They didn’t have time to adapt to the city or the work as an officer, they would come in inexperienced and then thrown right into deadly combative situations that most of them wouldn’t make it through, besides nobody had a chance of making this place better, you just have to survive the best you can.
The subway came to a screeching halt and opened its door at our stop. Aspen and I exited the subway and looked around. The station was mildly busy, nothing too crowded. The subway cars were tagged with graffiti as were the walls, a couple of officers partnered up and stood around talking, armed with a bullet proof vest and assault rifles. Most of the citizens walked by dressed up for work, using the subway to get around. Gangs of pickpockets lurked through the crowds, homeless sitting down with signs begging for money, and gangs of thugs stood around looking tough claiming their territory.
Aspen walked over to a homeless man sitting on the ground with a foam cup in front of him. Aspen dropped a couple dollars into the cup and began to walk away. A gang that was standing nearby began to chuckle with happy smiles on their face as they watched Aspen throw away his money. I reached inside of the cup and took the money back out.
“You’re that greedy, huh?” Aspen protested.
I stuck my hand through the homeless man. My hand went right through him and he began to glitch out like a TV that had just lost its connection. The gang's smiles were wiped from their faces, they stared at me with an intimidating angry glare.
“It’s a scam tactic gangs use to take people's money, if you give your heart to everyone they’ll eventually take advantage of your kindness.”
I handed Aspen his money back as we walked up stairs to the city streets. The city was just how I remembered. It’s a colorful city from all of the hologram ads floating around in front of buildings or dancing on the streets. Skyscrapers promoted most of the larger holograms while smaller market shops and buildings had the holograms dancing out front of their store. Even though the city had color flowing through it, it was still drowned in a sorrowful darkness. The people who make honest living’s slave away like zombies on the edge of their sanity, looking for a reason to continue on, so most pleasure themselves by turning into a dark world of crime.
There’s a pandemic going on throughout the city involving drugs. Its use is common, but the drugs involved in our contract are combative psychedelics, which are highly more illegal than others. The drug we’re after is called Purple Sap. The animals back at the fighting ring were being injected with it before matches in order to give them incredible strength and an impulsive anger. Reports have flooded into the police station about civilians being murdered in broad daylight. When the police would try to apprehend one of the suspects they would attack an officer and get themselves killed. All of these suspects had Purple Sap flowing through them, so naturally it’s become a problem that we have to deal with.
There was no specific destination or starting point, it was all just the right place at the right time sort of stuff. In the city of East Diamond Gate that happens quite frequently. Ten minutes of walking down the sidewalk, a cop car would speed past us on a road far too dilapidated to drive on. We were in the worst part of the city, the part my old partner and I patrolled all of the time, a place where justice is never served. People glared at Aspen and I strangely, as we would pass by. People were suspicious of us and we were of them.
There was a ramen shop that Aspen noticed and had brought to my attention. We were both hungry and tired from all of the walking so we figured it best to grab a quick bite to eat. While living in Japan, Aspen developed a strong love for ramen, and eats it every chance he has.
We walked to the entrance of the ramen shop and were greeted by a dancing animatronic bowl of ramen with noodles sticking out of the bowl and a giant smile on its face. The ramen shop had no doors or curtains, just two chairs to sit on and a counter where you were served. Behind that a kitchen that you could see inside of. There were anime and manga posters on the walls, stuff I wasn’t familiar with.
A Japanese man wearing a headband and a tank top walked over to us and placed down one menu. He stood there with his arms crossed and waited for us to order. He didn’t seem like a mean guy but he wasn’t what I’d call the friendliest either.
Aspen took charge of the order and ordered his and my ramen for me.
“Two bowls of Shoyu ramen please.”
The ramen chef nodded and then turned his back to us as he prepared our ramen.
“Trust me Whiskey, it's good, and if you don’t like the one I picked then I’ll cover it.”
I didn’t mind him choosing my ramen, after all I’ve never had it before, so it was best he chose anyways.
Within seconds two bowls of steaming hot ramen were placed right in front of us. The ramen had a savory aroma that was loving to the nose. For a second I just stared at my ramen. Aspen on the other hand began to dig right in.
I cracked open a pair of wooden chopsticks and gave it a go. We both ate our ramen and it was good, probably one of the best tasting things I’ve had in my mouth in a while. The only thing that was strange was that the ramen chef would just stand there staring at us with his arms folded while we ate.
We both finished our ramen and paid the man. Aspen couldn’t stop telling him about how good his ramen is which eventually cracked a smile out of the chef. Just as we were about to leave I noticed a picture of the chef when he first opened the shop. I guess folding his arms and looking tough is just how he is.
We were on our way to book a room at some cheap motel since it was pretty late at night, around one in the morning. We walked down the empty road and proceeded to look for the motel we would stay at. As we were walking three men stood still in the middle of the street with smiles on their faces and a couple of pocket knives ready for stabbing.
A couple more guys began to approach us from behind and a few more came out of an alley. One of them began to yell out.
“So you two think you’re so smart for catching our little scam earlier.”
So it was those guys. I stood in place with my hands in my coat pockets waiting to see what would happen. Aspen had his hand on the handle of his sword, ready to be unleashed.
“You stole that money from us, we saw you put it in the cup, we want it back pal.”
The thug protested.
“Well that’s just unfortunate, because we just spent it on two delicious bowls of ramen… Pal.”
I responded.
Their smiles all turned into violent frowns. Their leader charged at me. I drew my gun from my chest holster and…
BANG ! BANG !
Their leader stood face to face with the muzzle of my gun.
Two shots were fired but they weren’t mine. Two detectives in fedoras and long trench coats stood outside of their car, one of them had their pistol pointed to the sky and some gunsmoke steaming from the muzzle and another standing there with his hands in his pocket.
The gang leader waved to the rest of the gang to head out, and they did. The crooks all left while Aspen and I stayed where we stood.
“I didn’t think your ass would ever come back, this sure is a surprise.”
Said from a familiar voice. A voice I knew once in my past, a voice my ears haven’t heard for some time now.
“You know this guy sir?”
Said the partner, whom I wasn’t familiar with.
“Yeah, we have some history.”
Aspen looked at me while I stood there in silence.
“Well Whiskey, I’m glad we got here in time before things got messy.”
“Yeah you should be thanking the lieutenant here.”
The partner hollered out, with an ego.
“That’s not what I meant, Sherwood. We’d be having to have the coroners come out and clean up the pile of bodies Whiskey would’ve left behind.”
The partner's confidence dwindled away after being told off.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
“How do you know Whiskey?” Aspen questioned.
“I’m an old partner of his, when we worked the streets together.”
I had many partners while working the force, many I can’t remember. This one I do though, this partner I remember because he was the only one that didn’t die.
“He’s the only partner that made it to day two.” I informed Aspen.
“Yeah I’d like to think I’m doing pretty good for myself now. But you. I’ve been wondering where you went ever since you gave Cap your gun and badge.” The detective said.
Danny Carbine, my old partner in stopping crime. When he was partnered up with me I expected the rookie to be dead by the end of the shift, but he survived, and it wasn’t a slow day at the office either. He kept up with me, he had true skill.
“Got yourself a new partner I see.” Danny pointed out.
“Yeah, you as well huh?”
“Yeah I made Sergeant so Cap has me partnering up with the little ducks now, then after a couple of weeks they go out on their own.”
Sergeant already? He got ranked up pretty fast. Must’ve done some big bust or something pretty heroic.
“The city must be getting soft if they’re making it past the first day.”
His partner Sherwood grunted, as his ego took a strike right the gut. As for Danny he smiled with a shrug.
“Maybe. I like to think things are just starting to change for the better.” Danny said.
I couldn’t help but disagree, this city is shit, has been, will be. Always. No matter how many cops are hired, and no matter how many drug lords and kingpins are brought down from the top of their penthouses, things here would never change. Evil is a presence some cities can’t do without, a good honest man could move here for a day and come out as a lying prick.
“We should catch up sometime Whiskey.”
“Yeah maybe, I’ve been busy lately so I wouldn’t count on it.”
“Well if you change your mind, you know where to find me.”
We still had a purpose for being here and getting distracted from the task at hand was easy in a place like this. We hadn’t a clue where to start and how to find things out, but we figured it would be best to head to the motel, get some sleep and call it a night.
The motel we approached had a giant sign with a name we couldn’t make out since the lights would flicker on and off at different times. We don’t have money to throw around so it’s ramen and cheap motels until we find out who’s supplying this drug. Grown men working a tough profession and we live like kids in college minus the fun experiences and class stuff.
We woke up in our dirty stained beds to the view of torn floral wallpaper and the smell of something that’s long been dead. Opening a window to let the smell out wasn’t possible since the windows are barred shut, due to break ins around the area. After getting ready and having some coffee at this surprisingly nice coffee vendor, we started to think about how to start the job. We’re here to find out anything about this purple drug and report back to my caseworker on it, but any extra work gains us an extra incentive which I don’t think I’m willing to turn down.
“So should we start questioning some shady people?” Aspen wondered.
I sat thinking about our next move for a while, until it finally came to me.
“I’m sure the police station has information we can use to our advantage.
“Will the cops tell us?” Aspen asked.
“Probably not. They make little so they’ll want something out of it, but I know a guy who would probably tell us for free.”
We ventured through the city to eventually find ourselves at the front door of the East Diamond Gate Police Station, from the looks of it, it hasn’t changed much. The windows are still made of wooden planks and the cop cars are outdated too. It wasn’t my problem anymore though. I figured maybe our start to this job wouldn’t be so tough after the run in with my old partner last night. Maybe he had some information that could lead us in the right direction, or maybe this would just be a waste of time. Not like we had any other great ideas.
Inside of the station are raggedy dressed criminals, all that probably made small petty crimes, and cops that reek of booze. Drinking on the job was pretty common here actually, not legal, but who was gonna stop them. I even noticed the captain drunk on occasions.
We walked to the front window which was made of bulletproof glass, and waited for the clerk to stop typing on their holographic keyboard. We stood there for a minute or two until she finally glanced up at us while adjusting her glasses. She couldn’t ignore us anymore after making eye contact with me.
“So what do you need?” She rudely asked us.
“I was hoping we could talk to Sergeant Carbine.” I replied.
“He’s busy.”
She went back to typing away on her holographic keyboard as if we had just left.
“But we have business to discuss with him.” Aspen implied.
“If you don’t have a scheduled appointment then I can’t let you through to see him.” She enforced.
Danny came out with a cup of coffee in hand and a cigar in his mouth from the section only officers were allowed into.
“It’s okay to let them through Sandy.” Danny ordered.
We followed Danny through the back onto the main floor where all the cops and detectives were playing cards, drinking, smoking, processing criminals, working on cases. It was a lot looser of an atmosphere now compared to back then. Most of these cops don’t seem to have a worry in sight, only few look serious, but the majority look as if they had cleared the city out of all scum and evil.
“Big bust today?” I wondered.
“Not that I know of.” Danny replied.
But then why? Why would they all be so relaxed and happy, why are only so few taking this seriously? As we walked through I could sense someone eyeing me down, as I turned to my left I saw him. Some detective with a wild gaze just staring at us as if he had something against us. We all sat down around Danny’s desk and he sat there with a grin on his face while puffing on his cigar. He must’ve become some bigshot.
“So what brings you two by?” He asked.
“We were wondering if you had any information on a particular narcotic?” I replied with.
“There’s a lot of those in this city, which one are you in the market for?” He pitched to us.
“Market for?” I asked puzzlingly.
He laughed out loudly, as if something funny was said.
“I’m only joking.” Danny said.
“Purple Sap.” Aspen said.
Suddenly things weren’t as funny, Danny sat up straight and rubbed out his cigar. He finally looked at us seriously and asked us. “Why do you want to know about Purple Sap?” He was curious of us now, as if we overstepped a boundary.
“It doesn’t exist, it’s just a myth made up to put law enforcement in circles.” He explained to us.
“No it’s real, we saw it.” Aspen snitched.
Danny’s face got even more serious, he really opened his ears, and he really widened his eyes with interest. “So then it is real?” He asked.
We told him it was and he rambled on about how profitable it was for anyone who can get their hands on it, and how he and other detectives have been racing to see who could crack down on it first. It seems whoever sells this stuff has been able to keep a low profile well enough to make the cops start to question its existence.
“Have you gotten any reports of overdoses or violent attacks in public?”
He sat there thinking for a minute then pulled open his file cabinet to search through different cases and reports. Nothing. He hadn't had a single incident reported about the purple sap, yet our caseworker assigned us to this job due to the high increase in crime involving Purple Sap. Something was wrong…
“How did you two come across purple sap anyways? You’re not a detective anymore so I don’t see how any of this interests you.” Danny pondered.
“We work for the AEA.” Aspen said proudly.
Danny looked at me now, suspicious of us. I wanted to keep a low profile on our business in the city, but Aspen didn’t seem to mind telling Danny. It’s not that I don’t trust Danny, it’s just now he might try to get competitive about this whole thing.
“Assassins huh, so That’s what you do now Whiskey?”
I nodded my head “yes” hoping this wouldn’t now complicate things, having Danny’s co-operation was key to finding any information out. Though he didn’t know much I was confident if he found anything out he may have informed me.
“Like I said, I don’t know anything about that drug, nor have I seen it before. You two take care alright, I have some work I have to start on.”
We walked out of the station back to square one with no leads or anything to go off of. That was until a detective followed us out, the same one that stared at us both while walking in. The suspicious one. He called out to us and handed me a note with an address and time. He continued to walk away as if he didn’t know us or as if there no was not interaction at all.
When the time came we met him at this small old fashioned 1950’s themed diner, the only difference was back in the fifties robots didn’t wait on you. Imagine how rough that was for people in the food service in the industry, getting replaced by a machine. It slaves away working free while you hunt for your next job. If there's even one available.
Aspen and I sat at a booth while the detective sat at the counter. He got up and sat by us with a file folder in hand. He tossed it towards Aspen and I while he lit up a cigarette. The file contained cases and reports of Purple Sap incidents, suspects, and victims. Photos of the deceased and hidden drug stashes.
“I thought all of you cops were in the dark about this stuff.” Aspen proclaimed.
“Only I know about this file, and now you two do.” The detective said.
“Why?” I questioned.
He looked around the diner and outside of the window we sat next to, to make sure no one was watching or listening.
“I wasn’t sure if you two were with Danny or not until I listened in on your conversation. I had to keep this file secret from everyone else because a good majority of the cops in there are helping move out drugs, they’re corrupt. Finding out about this file would’ve started a massive drug war and they’d all be playing their part in it.”
“How’s that possible?” I wondered.
“Danny and some other guys started playing for the wrong team, soon more cops followed because it made things safer for them, plus it paid better.
“Why haven’t you reported this to the captain?”
Danny chuckles while smoking his cigarette.
“He’s in on it too. Only the chief doesn’t have a clue, since he has to manage the other station as well, and the captain has a good poker face. But I also have to play my cards right.”
“So why tell us all of this, what do you want us to do?” Aspen asked.
“What you came here to do. Keep the file and figure this shit out before Danny and his partner do or any other cops.” The detective instructed.
He got up and left the file with us. He probably felt it was safer that way. Now we had a lead, and now we were also in the danger.
As we stood up from the booth.
BANG!
A gunshot erupted through the city. At least that’s what it sounded like since it happened so close. We hurried outside to see what happened and to our surprise he was dead. Cold on the ground with a bullet between the eyes. The detective who knew too much. A crowd of people stared at his lifeless body while we looked around for anyone that could’ve done this, but the crowd became too big for us to see any suspects. All we knew was that now we were the ones who would be hunted. We were the ones that could bring this down. How exciting. A decent paying contract has now become so much more.