Red Light

Briefings

Jiang Cheng stood in the shower letting the warm water sluice away the dried blood smears on his chest and arms. Wishing it could wash away the knowledge and the hurt as easily.

He could still feel the fabric of his shirt in his hands, stiff with his brother's blood.

The fear when he had seen Wei Ying pale and covered in blood still sat in the back of his thoughts like a toad in mud. It wasn't over yet and he knew it. There was too much at stake for people who would do anything for another yuan.

Like his mother.

It didn't matter what angle he had come up with, he couldn't explain what she had done. It wasn't that he was looking for excuses. There weren't any. The question he couldn't answer was 'Why?'.

What made her think this was a good idea? Did she really think he and ShiJie wouldn't tear the world apart looking for him? And, when discovered, what did she think would happen then? Did she think he would just turn away from all his principles and let her get by with it?

The questions circled like sharks in a feeding frenzy. Tearing pieces out of him.

The woman who gave birth to him had sold another human being. And not just any human being but his brother. How could he reconcile himself to that?

He couldn't. It just wasn't possible.

He was standing in front of his bathroom mirror shaving when he saw it. He had his mother's eyes. People had mentioned it in the past but he had never really seen it. Suddenly there it was. Plain as day. His face stiffened.

It didn't matter. He was grateful that he existed even if she had been half of his genetics.

But that was all.

He couldn't give her anything else but anger and, quite possibly, hatred.

-----

Standing in front of his closet, Jiang Cheng pulled out a fresh uniform. It was clean, crisp and perfectly ironed. When he had become one of the youngest inspectors in the city, he had known appearances were important. His dozen uniforms were sent to a laundress who washed, starched and ironed them. He looked the part just as much as he acted it.

Today, it was vital there was no doubt in the eyes of his officers, his superiors, and, most importantly, his mother. He was a police officer and he would uphold the law come hell or high water.

-----

He looked at the officers gathered for the briefing. They were ready.

"I will be on site today at both locations but I will take no direct part in either the arrest or the search warrant. We do not want to set up a conflict of interest but I feel obliged to be there. Not to protect the individual involved but to make sure you have access to everything possible. I grew up in the house and grounds you will be searching later today. It is my family home. Or was. The woman you are arresting is my mother. Take a minute and process that. We do not want any mistakes today because someone couldn't wrap their head around that fact." Jiang Cheng said. It was all very cut and dried. There was no emotion in his voice.

As he glanced over the assemble officers, he took a sip of water. It gave them time to absorb the information. His face was stiff. If he had smiled, it would have cracked.

"Are we ready to continue?" Murmurs of agreement flowed through the crowd in odd patterns.

"Our target is Yu Ziyuan. We will arrest in her in her office. While this will not be announced to the press, we aren't hiding anything either. Do not be surprised if she resists. Do not abuse her but take nothing off of her either. She is being arrested. Not asked to tea. Be firm and use your SOP. We want this one completely by the book. Do you understand." His voice brooked no opposition.