The Shadow Bounty

Old Friend and Leads

“Jake Tolkien former officer on the Teargate Police Force, now with a criminal record of 7 counts of murder and 3 counts of breaking the peace”

A dark coloured officer said as he sat down across from me in the interrogation room, dropping my criminal record onto the table as he went. He took out his horn rimmed glasses put them on and then leaned back into his chair and smiled at me.

“So Mister Tolkien would you like to explain to use what happened”

As I went to say one of my usual confessions that would get me out on bail I saw him write on a small piece of paper and then slide it to me. I took the note and read it, it said “Say the Alphabet and then numbers 1 to 10 as casual as you can” I looked at him curious as to what he meant, he mimed to me “Just do it” I followed by his command.

“A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10”

“Thank you Mister Tolkien for your cooperation, you are free to go”

He said with the same smile and led me out holding the door as I went out of the room. As I went to be escorted to pay my bail and be let out he grabbed my arm.

“Just wait there a second son, I wanna have a word.”

The officers escorting me looked at each other as if to think something wasn’t right.

“It’s alright Ill sign him out when I’m done”

They looked at each other again and then walked away leaving me alone with this mysterious man. He led me to his office so we could talk in private, who the heck was this guy?

“Please take a seat” he said pointing to a plastic chair in front his grand mahogany desk.

He sat down himself and veiled a custom made keyboard from the desk. He pressed intricately several key rhythms.

“You drink Tea or Coffee?” he said casually, this obviously wasn’t anything to do with the cases; never had an officer of such high rank offered me a choice of beverages if any at all. Any way I played along as I always do and gave my usual answer.

“Coffee, milk and four sugars thanks”

He pressed the keyboard again and a mug rose from the desk. I looked at it in amazement; this guy must have a high wage if he’s got all these devices in one mahogany desk. He nodded his head at the mug to indicate it was for me.

“Thank you”

“Ah your welcome, I guess you haven’t noticed who I am yet?”

I knew this guy? This day just got stranger and stranger.

“You see with a fair pay job and friend who works in the augmentation industry you can get your face changed for a fair few credits”

“Prichard?” I said a little shocked and confused.

“The one and only” he said with the same smile that I knew I recognized from somewhere.

I stood as he did and hugged him over the table.

“What the hell happened to you I never saw you after the Blue Bat Protocol?”

“Ah well that’s the thing, I thought why leave the force like everyone one else when I can get an extensive facelift for a couple a credits and keep tabs on these guys. And I’m telling you it worked; I’ve seen alota things in this chair that you don’t get to see on the 10 O’clock news”

“Well I’ve already seen with those guys outside, what used to be sitting in a car and waiting for a robbery’s now changed into the Nazis”

“Haha well that’s the thing” he said whilst tinkering with his keyboard again. An image appeared on the wall next to me of a man in the same dress as the officers outside.

“You remember this guy, Joseph Cartwright?”

“Yeah, isn’t he the guy who came up with the Blue Bat Protocol?”

“Yeah that’s the guy except when people thought Blue Bat was just a way of giving the Police more enforce it was actually giving this guy more power”

“Wait a minute if this guy is using his power to do what he wants then wouldn’t someone else have noticed?”

He repositioned his glasses and looked directly at me.

“Jakey when you’ve got as much power as this guy then you can eliminate anyone who’s snooping around before they say anything to revealing”

“How come they’ve not found you yet? For all you know they could have another one of his Hitler youth with his ear glued to the wall listening in”

He tinkered with his keyboard again.

“And if they are then I’ve got insurance in a 50 calibre bullet” he said smugly as the screen folded back and revealed a wall of weapons from 9mm pistols to black market prototypes.

“Now that’s the Prichard I know, haha” I said back in the smug voice. He folded the wall back again as the shadow of another one of the officers passed the room window.

“So come on then what really happened back at the bar because I know for a fact that you go to get pissed and not to get into a fight”

“Well come to think of it I might need your help on that, remember Dick Gould the guy we busted for stealing of that old lady on Prince street?”

“Oh yeah I remember that guy, you took his eye out on that case didn’t you?”

“Yeah that’s him, well while I’ve been off the force he’s been chase me down across the planet with a group of mercs, never been able to keep me longer than 2 hours. Anyway last night I went to the bar after id finished my night shift and after 5 years of thinking he’s on some mining colony he’s there behind me with 3 kill joys”

“Why’d you think he suddenly came back after you?”

“Well after getting rid of the kill joys and knocking him down I managed to get it out of him that some guy gave him the contract through an informant, he said he didn’t get any names. I mean you can ask him yourself if you like, he was still there after you picked me up”

“Wait so you’re telling me you didn’t do anything to him?”

“No you know that’s not my kinda thing, I was a cop once for god’s sack”

He tinkered with his keyboard again and an image came up on the wall of Dick the last time I saw him, except his face looked mangled by something, I could only just recognise him from his red and black leather jacket.

“Forensics found him just after I brought you in; they say they’ve never seen anything like it before, he give you any description of this informant?”

“He said his name was Brocke, got a thing for wearing tailored suits”

“Hmmm Brocke, I swear we’ve got him on record”

He tinkered again with the keyboard except this time he was practically hitting the keys, the only time I’d ever seen him type like that was when he thought he had a case. After a few seconds he brought up an image of a man with dark brown hair and wearing a blue pinstriped suit.

“Edward Brocke, caught dealing drugs down in the west side of the Hog, I’m thinking this is your informant”

“Let’s get going, just like old times” I said smiling at the image.

“Oh yeah, just like old times”

He grabbed his usual field kit of bag, custom pistol and enforcement pad before leading me out the back of the station to his new company car.