Zero Sum

Training Way

"We have disturbance in progress, hurry into the car!"

Viro is a veteran officer just a few months away from retirement. Why anyone would decide to put him in charge of taking on a rookie officer through his first official day of patrol duty is perplexing to him. 

Normally they would not respond to such a high-profile disturbance on a training day either, but the lack of available units in the vicinity of said disturbance deems it necessary. In either case, Viro plans to keep a distance from the fray, merely providing backup. At the same time though, teaching this new recruit about the realities of being an officer in Ten City. 

Realizing something suddenly he stops and turns before getting into their vehicle, "By the way, what's your name again?" 

"It's Rastor. Where are we going?" The younger officer inquires, having skipped the normal formalities of a first day on the job, it is all he can do to look like he actually belongs in the foray of the police station. 

The police precinct is nothing at all like he has ever seen before. Officers race in and out, either gathering to subdue a captured super criminal and throw them into a prison cube. Or they are racing out the door to respond to the latest super crimes of the moment. 

"Bank robbery," barks back Viro, "Power enabled individuals involved, and" he changes his demeanor to say, "private security reinforcements have been unsuccessful at intervening."

Although Viro is somewhat resentful of privately endorsed companies with power enabled individuals employed as security enforcers. He realizes that he has come to rely on them to at least supplement the official police responders. 

Sure, the private companies seem to outright undermine the police force institutions. Usually, the enforcers compete with officers at taking down super criminals first. Seeing as they don't have to follow any discernable procedural plan other than to rush in hard and fast and engage the enemy. They are unorganized at best, outright collateral wrecking machines at worst.

"Shouldn't we allow for more privateers to arrive before we rush in?" Rastor asks as if reading Viro's mind.

"Forget that!" Viro retorted. "We have the weapons, equipment and experience on our side to deal with any and all super threats!"

Viro leads them to a car, standard issue vehicle, equipped with concealed cannons, reinforced armor, hot rod engine, and virtual heads up display. After stocking up at the armory, graviton pistols, ion rifles, goo grenades, and pulse shotguns, they raced out the precinct. Located underground, in order to better contain super detainees as well as for the added protection that a basement level offered, they raced up the spiraling ramps and made their way up to the surface.

In Ten City, where nearly every resident had some super form of power or tech or abilities. It was common to see not just typical good and bad but everything in between as well. 

As the police car raced down the city streets, one may pass by a junkie hideout, where an empath is able to get high, and all those who circle around him can feel the effects of the drugs empathically. Or a person who can make clones of himself sneaks off into a motel to have an affair with himself. There are the telepaths too who stand outside banks and other credit companies to skim credit card information and other details from the minds of employees as they head in and out of the buildings.

One disaster at a time, Viro tells himself.

"That was an unsanctioned turn! You just cut off that hovercopter! Watch out for that old lady!"

That's no old lady, Viro thinks to himself. But swerves anyways to avoid it, one disaster at a time old boy, he tells himself.

His rookie partner follows procedure to the letter. "This is unit Oh Oh Eleven, responding to bank robbery at Darby Street, responding, approximately four" looking at Viro and the speedometer, "make that two minutes out, over."