Ham and cheese toastie. Coffee. Drive to work. Clock in. Clock out. Go home. Sleep. Repeat.
That was the life of Jenny Chao, a detective pushing forty, for the past fifteen years. Balding at the scalp, with a crooked mouth, and a resting expression that screamed stay the hell away from me - Jenny wasn't winning beauty contests, and she didn't care.
"Chao," a voice crackled through her comm, snapping her from her thoughts. "Head to C7S345R936. You're needed on site."
Jenny rubbed her temples, irritation curling her lip. "Get someone else to do it, Yoon."
"Only you can. All other units are tied up, and you've been loitering in the office all morning," her supervisor replied.
Rowdy laughter caught her attention - a young hotshot detective tossing a ball to an older colleague. Both were irritatingly handsome, muscular, and full of energy. Both equally annoying.
"What about Opoy and his dog? They're free." She clicked her tongue loudly, not caring if they overheard.
"Sending an awakened to a human case? Waste of resources," Yoon snorted. "It's a slum sector. Not under their jurisdiction. You should know this - your husband's always droning on about policies, procedures, and codes-"
"Alright," she barked, cutting him off. "I'll go."
"Good. And while you're at it, take Kenny and Grayson. You can't screen the area alone."
"The rookie and dumbo?" she scoffed. "Might as well let Benson tag along."
"Chao, it's from upstairs. The girl needs more field exposure. You know why."
Jenny did know - to scare the poor kid off.
"Fine," she muttered. "But I'm not playing nice."
"When did I ever expect you to?"
Jenny's lip curled. "Good. You know me well."
( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
"Want one?"
Meredith looked up from scanning the street. Idra Kenny - six foot three, built like a friendly overweight bear, with a face like a distant uncle you only saw at holidays - held out a glazed donut.
She shook her head. "I'm good."
"Your loss," he said, biting into one. They stood outside a busy station sector lined with food vendors. Officers in uniform streamed past with steaming trays, chatting and laughing.
"You know," Idra mumbled through crumbs, "nobody's gonna start trouble here. You can stop staring holes into civilians."
She gave him a quiet hum, eyes still moving over the crowd.
"You're scaring the kids." He nodded toward a parent hurriedly carrying their child away after glancing at her.
"We're not Enforcers, Grayson. We're senior officers. Friendly neighbourhood helpers."
"I know," Meredith replied softly, cooling her gaze. She'd been on edge lately, mind buzzing with theories she wanted to run past Chao - one of only three female detectives in the station, and, according to her brother, the most thorough of them all.
Idra popped another donut into his mouth. "Unless you're aiming for an Enforcer gig. In that case- oh, ten o'clock. Watch your happiness."
"Mind your words, fatso," a sharp voice cut in.
Meredith looked up to see Chao - sharp features, a widow's peak, and hawk-like eyes that seemed to strip you bare.
"Wrap it up. We've got work in another sector," Chao ordered.
"What sector?" Idra asked.
"345," she replied, tapping her watch. "Now that we're all here, let's blip."
"Wait-" Meredith started.
"No questions till we get there," Chao waved her off and pressed down on her watch.
Blue light swallowed them.
( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
They reappeared in Sector 345's station square. The police station here was small, run-down, and perpetually understaffed. The "Detective Wanted" notice on its board had been sun-bleached for a decade.
Locals didn't like detectives. Too nosey.
A stocky man with a wild red beard approached. "You'd be Chao?"
"Yes." She gestured to her companions.
"Senior Officers Kenny and Grayson. You must be Sector Inspector Luken."
"Aye," he huffed. "Scene's not far. My men closed it off. Some of your crew's already there."
Chao frowned slightly. "Alright. Lead the way."
"Follow me, lads." He set off at a trot.
They passed sagging houses with barred windows, abandoned vehicles, and streets littered with cracked glass. Citizens with yellowed eyes and brittle skin watched from windows or shadowed alleys.
The group stopped at a leaning apartment complex at the base of a mountain. Paint peeled in long curls from its walls, and a trash field stretched beside it - a hundred metres of scavengers picking through heaps of rotting debris.
"Resident 936's in there," Luken said, pointing to the third floor. "You'll find your lot up there."
"You're not coming with us?" Meredith asked.
His brow arched. "Nay, greenhorn. Your circus, not mine."
"But-"
"Save it," Chao cut in. "We'll contact you if needed."
"Just have my boys home by tea time," Luken grunted, before tapping his watch and vanishing.
Meredith turned to Chao. "Detective-"
"Later," Chao interrupted, already moving. "We've got a scene."