Guardian Angels
Last Time:
While on a patrol with one of her human coworkers, Saipia Jones decided to visit her old stomping grounds. While there, she discovered her own brother buying drugs, forcing her to arrest and interrogate him. But, bringing a human into an anti-human region almost cost her partner his life, earning her a stern scolding from James. However, while on patrol, Saipia pours over the work of one of her team and makes a decision about what she wants to do with Erica.
Episode 9: "Separation"
Erica walked into the precinct without knowing anything that was about happen to her. Almost immediately, she was greeted by her commander, Saipia Jones. "Hey, Erica, you're a little late this morning. What's up with that?"
The jaguar shrugged. "My sister spent the night with me and I had to drop her off this morning. But, I'm only a couple minutes late."
"Ah. At least you have a better excuse than Jack did over Christmas," commented the blue wolf, causing Erica to laugh. "Anyway, there's a staff meeting in the assembly hall. Chief wanted everyone to attend."
Erica nodded. "Let me use the little jaguar's room, and I'll be right there."
"Alright. I'll see you in there," Saipia said and walked off towards the assembly hall.
Erica didn't think any of this was odd. There were often meetings where everyone had to be in attendance. So, after she did her business in the bathroom she headed into the assembly hall where everyone was gathered. Erica, however, immediately spotted her parents and her sister sitting in the front row. Still not able to decide what was going on or if was anything for her to worry about, Erica took a seat in the middle of the crowd.
The chief smiled. "Alright, looks like everyone is here now, I guess we can begin. Every once and a while there comes a cop who's actions go far beyond what is expected or required of them. These officers sometimes climb ranks much faster than usual. Today we are here to award a few of these brave men and women with new ranks and some awards. Here to help me and receive the first award is Commander Saipia Jones." There was a round of applause for the commander as she stepped up to the stage from the front row. "Commander, for your leadership of the GUEST and your all leadership in eliminating several abduction rings, the Hollywood Police Department presents you with a plaque and the Police Medal of Heroism and Police Commission Distinguished Service Medal."
There was another round of applause as the human chief put pinned the medals to Saipia's breast pocket. The chief then saluted the wolf before handing her the plaque, having their pictures taken and handing the microphone over to Saipia who quickly passed out the other awards and new ranks. Erica had assumed that her family was here for Saipia's awards. Finally, however, Saipia came to the final award. "Alright, I know a lot of you have patrols to get to, and don't worry, we only have one more award to hand out. This final award, which is actually a set of medals, including the Medal of Valor, Medal of Heroism and Life Saving Medal, is being awarded to someone who has saved my ass on multiple occasions and is always willing to follow instruction without argument. She's gone above and beyond the call of duty more times than I can count and if you ask me, these awards are far overdo. So, without further delay, would Sergeant Erica Martin please join me up here on stage."
Erica laughed at her ignorance and Saipia's skill in keeping the fact that she was being awarded from her. She quickly stood to her feet, and made her way to the stage, waving at her beaming family and teammates as she passed them. As she shook Saipia's hand, she leaned into her ear and whispered: "You can be a real bitch sometimes, you know that?"
"Oh, I'm not done yet," Saipia whispered back as she handed the group of medals to the Sergeant. As the crowd quieted down, Saipia turned back to the crowd. "Also, because of her exceptional performance, Erica was also been awarded with a new rank. Now, this is a very large jump in rank, and it was one that I had to clear with the chief first. But, upon proving my case to him, he agreed to this," Saipia said as she pulled out the twin captain's bars from a her pocket. Saipia turned around and removed the Sergeant rank from Erica's lapels. "These were my bars, by the way, so take good care of them."
The jaguar was stunned at the sight of her new rank and had to swallow to keep from crying. She nodded her understanding to her superior officer. Erica's father soon appeared beside Saipia and pinned on the other rank. Once both ranks were on, Erica's father stepped to the side, while Saipia took a step back and saluted her. "Congratulations, Erica. You deserve it," said the wolf quietly as the cat returned the salute.
There was a standing ovation for Erica. She had been there about as long as Saipia, but a lot felt she did a lot more than the commander. Now, Erica was the third highest ranking member of the Angels. "Thank you, Saipia."
Eventually, the applause subsided and the cops all went their separate ways. Erica's parents gave her a strong embrace and congratulated her on her promotion and awards. Erica and Saipia left the hall together and headed for Saipia's office. "What about Jack? Isn't he going to get promoted?" asked Erica.
Saipia laughed at the question. "I had considered it until he decided to put a two-bit whore above his job. Now, if he wants to be my third in command again, he'll have to work harder for it. Although, you are Captain II, so it'll be hard for him to catch up to you."
"I bet he's pissed about that," Erica commented.
"Yeah. That's why he opted not to attend your promotion ceremony. I'm starting to think the only reason why he's worked so hard to get the rank he has is to be closer to me," said Saipia as the two entered her office.
"Hey, it worked for me," joked Erica.
"And it's comments like that that got you promoted. You're always looking out for everyone but yourself, even those who really don't deserve it," Saipia replied as her second in command entered the office.
"It's true. Congratulations, Erica. It's good to see you with those bars on your shoulders. They seem to suit you quite well. Just like the stars on Saipia's shoulders suit her. And don't worry about Jack. He's lucky he didn't loose any rank. Any other officer probably would have," said James.
"You know, it could be considered as sexist to have all your female members with the highest ranks," commented Erica.
"Hey, Erica, if you don't want your rank, just say so," Saipia replied, half serious.
"I don't think my family would be very pleased with me if I did that. I don't think my dad has been more proud of me," said the jaguar with a shake of her head.
"I agree. And of course, my family and yours are having a huge party for you this weekend. And before you ask, it isn't tonight because we wanted to surprise you today. So, now, your parents are going over to your place to get ready for the party and Bella is heading over to my place to help Gjia with dinner tonight and party preparations," Saipia replied.
Jimmy entered the room then, with a smirk on his face. "Man, you sure pissed off Jack. That hyena won't stop complaining about Erica suddenly out ranking him."
"Yeah. He's definitely not taking it well. I would suggest having him on a separate mission from Erica for a while," Brian agreed as he entered.
Saipia stood to her feet at that. "Is he seriously that irritated with this whole thing? Would he really do something to harm a superior officer?"
Brian nodded. "He seemed pretty pissed. I wouldn't put it passed him to try something."
"Dammit! James, would you please get that stupid son of a bitch for me. The rest of you can wait in the briefing room. I do have a couple assignments for us. Just let me give Evan a piece of my mind and I'll be there," ordered the blue wolf.
"Yes, ma'am," acknowledged the maned wolf as she quickly left the office to get Jack.
Saipia slumped back in her chair for a moment as she dwelt on what she was going to do with the hyena. Having her team divided meant it wasn't going to operate at it's peak performance. Jack had been a thorn in her side lately, and she had to do something to get it to stop. As she thought for a moment, she came to a decision on what she had to do. However, she knew Jack wouldn't like it, but she had little choice.
After about five minutes, the door to Saipia's office opened and the tall hyena walked in and took off his cowboy hat. The commander had busied herself with finishing up her team evaluations. It was because of these evaluations that Erica got her promotion. "Close the door, please," she greeted. Jack obeyed and took a seat in the solitary chair that was positioned in front of the large cherry wood desk. The look on his face informed the blue wolf that he knew he was in trouble, but she couldn't tell if he was sorry or not. "I hear you were threatening Erica's life. Is that true?"
Jack looked away from his superior officer without saying a word. The guilty look on his face intensified when he looked back at the blue wolf. Saipia sighed. "What am I going to do with you, Evan? You're a great officer, but I can't have you acting like a three-year-old when something doesn't go your way. We're cops, Evan. We should be used to disappointments. I was going to promote you with Erica, but then you decided sleeping with a whore dressed like your commanding officer was more important than your job. Now, when a fellow officer gets promoted above you because she does her job and follows the rules, you threaten her life. I can't just ignore your behavior, Evan. And you're not leaving me with many options," Saipia lectured.
"I understand. What's my punishment going to be?" questioned Evan in a barely audible voice.
"Well, I can't really risk having you throw a fit out in the field, so, after this next mission, I'm suspending you for a month or until you can prove to me that you can be a supportive part of this team. I would suggest you use that time to get some counseling or take a nice long vacation or find someway to clear your head. Because, Evan, if you come back the and continue to act the way you've been acting, you will off my team permanently. Is that understood?" informed the commander.
"Yes, Commander," Jack replied as he twirled his cowboy hat nervously in his hands.
"Good, now, get to the briefing room so I can assign missions," ordered Saipia as she stood to her feet.
***
Saipia decided it would be a good idea to separate the boys and girls for the current missions. The President had ordered them to D.C. For a little meeting, so she sent Jack, Jimmy and Brian there, as Saipia really didn't want to deal with President Izen. Back in Hollywood, the girls had another part of the Genoid abduction ring to take care of. This one was called in by Liv, herself. "I have a bit of an issue with one of my subordinates," Liv informed the ladies once the boys had already left on their mission. "His name is Sebastian Creed. He's a human who used to be one of my best minions. Now, however, this bastard thinks he's better than me. I would kill him myself, but I think it would be far more humiliating to him if he got arrested by the cops. Be warned, though, this guy is ruthless and evil. He'll only hesitate in killing you long enough to rape you. But, you have a special weapons expert, behavior expert and driver, and an intelligence expert. I don't think he'll be much trouble, but just in case, I'm going to give you a little button. You press this, and I have four followers that will fire some rockets at the place. But, I would much rather keep the building. Figure I'd clean it up and turn it into a school or something."
"Just don't blow us up in the process," James remarked.
"Hey, that button is only a last resort. I would much rather take this guy alive, as well," Saipia ordered.
"And why are we keeping the boys out of the loop?" Erica asked.
James smiled. "Saipia doesn't want Jack to worry about her."
Erica laughed. "After all he's done, you still have feelings for him, huh?"
Saipia scoffed. "Don't sound so jealous, Erica. You know more about me than he ever will."
The crimson blush that spread across Erica's face told everyone that she was indeed a little jealous of Saipia's feelings for Jack. James and Liv laughed at the leopard's reaction. "Bitch." Erica muttered.
"James, why don't you get a UPC all signed out and ready to go. Erica, I'm putting you in charge of signing out weapons. I'll grab us a few other recruits," Saipia ordered.
James was a little shocked at her commander's orders. "A UPC? It's just..."
"I know. But, this Sebastian guy already gives me a bad vibe. I don't want to take any chances with this one. I'm giving him one chance to come peacefully. After that, we'll bring him back in a body bag," Saipia replied.
Liv smiled. "That is why I like you, Commander. Mr. Creed really isn't one to take lightly. I doubt he'll come quietly, but, if anyone can shake him up enough to make him give up, it's you."
***
Sebastian Creed was guilty of the worst crime he could commit: trying to out-stage Liv Ashton. Only he was a much more ruthless ruler. Women didn't run away from him, because he killed them if they did. The fact that there didn't seem to be that much security around his place meant he wasn't too afraid that he'd be overthrown. Even in our little armored personal carrier, Saipia felt as if he could reach in there and kill us.
Grabbing the intercom mic, Saipia pressed the button on the side and prepared to announce their presence. "Sebastian Creed, this is the police. We're giving you one chance to come peacefully. If you refuse, we will take you by force."
In response, through the small window, Saipia watched as the front door open and a grenade get hurled out. It clanged once against the UPC before exploding rattling those of us inside. "I guess he doesn't want to come quietly," Erica commented.
"Nope. I guess it's time to use a little force," Saipia replied and turned the turret of the tank towards the front door.
The door exploded into a million pieces when the tank shell hit it. Immediately, the blue-furred command opened a small hatch in the side of the tank and slide a rifle through. She emptied a five round clip through the door before singling her team to move out.
Erica and James had small sub-machine guns while Saipia carried out an RPG and an assault rifle with a grenade-launcher attachment. As soon as Saipia left the confines of the tank, she leveled the RPG at one of the windows of the three story house and fired. Dropping the launcher, she quickly followed the rest of her team as they made their way towards the large whole in the front of the house.
***
As Jack, Bryan and Jimmy stepped off the plane, they could feel the uneasiness in the air. A lot had changed since they were last in the nation's capital, and it was all for the worst. No Genoids walked the streets. As they moved through the airport, all the humans gave them dirty and shocked looks. "Well, this doesn't look good, does it?" Jimmy commented.
"No, it certainly does not," agreed Bryan.
"So, that bitch sent us into a trap, huh?" Jack muttered.
"Bitch? I seriously doubt the Commander would purposely send us into a trap," Brian commented.
"Yeah. Sai is just tired of dealing with the President. And one look around here will tell you why. This maybe a trap, but I don't think it could have been avoided," Jimmy replied as the sound of sirens could be heard in the distance.
Jack's tail twitched with irritation. He's obvious high stress levels made the other two with him keep their distance. "Might I suggest we run?" suggested the doctor snow leopard.
"Why? I kinda want to kick some ass," Jack remarked and prepared for a fight.
"Jack, if you get arrested, Saipia is going to fire you. Don't be stupid. So, Erica got promoted above you, who cares. You did put a hooker above work and you threatened the life of a superior officer. The only idiot you should be mad at, is yourself," Jimmy countered.
Without warning, Jack grabbed the border collie by the throat and slammed him hard against a wall of the airport. Jimmy felt the impact zip through his spine as the hyena held him a good two feet off the ground. "Watch you mouth, dog!" Jack growled.
Bryan took a step towards the lieutenant, but Jack quickly leveled a hidden pistol at him. The distraction, however, allowed Jimmy to get his feet in a position to kick his superior away from him. "You dumbass! I'm officially relieving you of duty!" the smaller canine spat, leveling a taser at Jack.
As the three Genoid men faced each other, the police finally arrived. These cops, however were members of a specialized team known as Genoid Control. Most of them were in favor of Genoid rights, and, instead of simply killing them or arresting them, they took them away from the city. "Please, put down your weapons," ordered one of the GC officers.
"Back off! As soon as we take this idiot into custody, we'll be on our way back to Hollywood," Jimmy said.
Jack quickly aimed his pistol at one of the humans, but Jimmy fired is taser before the hyena could think about firing the pistol. The furry cowboy dropped like a sack of bricks as the electricity shot through him. Jimmy jumped on his teammate and handcuffed him. He then put a small disc on Jack's back that was attached to a remote. As soon as Jim removed the metal prongs from the taser, Jack jumped to his feet, throwing the border collie to the ground.
Jimmy winced at the incredible pain that shot through him as he landed on his back. "God dammit!" he screamed, causing Bryan to rush over to him.
"Are you going to be alright, James?" the snow leopard asked.
"I will be once we get back to Hollywood and you can give me a thorough checkup. I think Jack messed up my back when he slammed me into the wall," the collie replied before pressing a button on the remote.
Another powerful shock from the disk on Jack's back brought the hyena to the ground again. Bryan helped James to his feet. "Come on, Evan. It's time to go."
"By the way, you better believe I'm reporting everything to Saipia. If I were you, Evan, I'd plan to spend a few days behind bars," Jimmy commented as the three made their way towards the terminals.
***
Erica and James stood on either side of a large doorway on the top floor of the mansion. Saipia was in a hallway, not that far away. The blue wolf emptied what was left of her clip into one of Sebastian's goons. Reloading, she through herself against the wall next to Erica. "This is my last magazine," she commented.
"I have five rounds left. I think James has nearly a fully clip. I've been trying to keep track, but I lost track on the second floor," the leopard replied.
Saipia cursed under her breath. "I wasn't expecting this much resistance. That said, I don't think we're going to fins Sebastian here. It feels like everything's just been buying him time to get away."
"Well, we're about to find out. This is the final room," Erica replied.
Saipia nodded and readied her rifle. She loaded a grenade in the launcher and quickly spund around towards the double doors. As she fired and the doors shattered, the three ladies stood their ground and waited for the smoke to clear. Saipia's sensitive ears picked up sounds from within the room and she barely managed to jump out of the way as a barrage of gunfire filled the hallway. James and Erica each grabbed a grenade from vests, removed the pin and tossed it into the room.
Once again the dusted cleared and the three women remained silent to listen for any signs of danger. "Get away from the door!" Saipia shouted and her two teammates leaped away from the doorway as a massive robot smashed through the walls that surrounded the doorway.
"This guy has an auto-defense robot?" Erica shouted.
"Apparently. You two retreat to the UPC. I'll take care of this bitch and join you," Saipia ordered.
James and Erica looked at each other, then to their commander. The serious look in her eye told them she wasn't going to have it any other way. "Yes, ma'am," the two answered in unison.
James quickly took off towards the stairs. "Don't get yourself killed," Erica commented, but smiled at the confident look her friend answered with.
As soon as Erica and James were out of sight, Saipia stood to her feet and threw her rifle to the ground. "Alright, bitch, it's just you and me. Show me what you got."
***
Jimmy and Bryan waited by Jimmy's desk for their leader to return. The brace on Jimmy's back and the bandages around his waist informed everyone of the damage Jack had done. The dog was just about to put his shirt on when Saipia, Erica and James entered the main room of the precinct. As soon as the commander saw Jimmy she gave them a confused look. "What in the word happened to you? And why are you back so early?"
"Apparently, it's illegal to be a Genoid in D.C." Jimmy commented with heavy dose of disgust in his voice.
"But, it was Mr. Taylor that was responsible for Jim's injuries. Three broken ribs and a fractured disk accompany several bruises. Needless to say, Jimmy won't be going on any missions for a while. He can, however help with paperwork if he insists on working," Bryan replied.
"Wait, Jack did this?" Saipia asked.
"Yes, ma'am. But, we put him in a holding cell. I figured you'd want to have a word with him when you got back from your mission," the snow leopard replied as the blue wolf took a closer look at Jimmy's injuries.
Saipia sighed in irritation. "Yeah, I do want to talk to him. James, why don't you take Jimmy home. He's not going to be of any use to the team with those injuries. Erica, would you be so kind as to start typing up the report on our mission. Bryan, I'll want your report on my desk by tomorrow."
"Yes, ma'am," came Bryan's reply. He's was the only reply as the others just went about their assignments.
As Saipia was left alone for a moment, she glanced towards the chief's office and caught his eye. The old man shook his head at the commander. Not really wanting a lecture, she made her way towards the holding cells where Jack sat all by himself. "What's wrong with you, Evan?" she asked after looking at the hyena for moment.
"Nothing," the hyena muttered.
"You know, Evan, when I first met you, I was thoroughly impressed with your professionalism and your willingness to go above and beyond what I asked of you. I did have plans to make you my second in command. I even talked it over with James and she agreed that you deserved that position. However, in the past couple years, your behavior has made me doubt your effectiveness on my team. Now, in the past couple months you've neglected your duties, threatened one fellow officer and severely injured another. I can't have you behaving like this. The chief would probably want me to fire you right now, but I still believe that you can be an important part of the team. However, if you don't straighten up your act, I won't have any say in what happens to you," the commander explained.
"Why would you protect me, anyway?" Jack wondered.
"Because, Evan, believe it or not, I actually do have some feelings for you. The only reason I haven't given in to your advances is because my parents would throw a fit if I started dating anything other than another wolf. That said, I'm not going to date you ever if you keep acting like an elementary school bully," Saipia answered, her tail singling her irritation.
Jack gave his commander an apologetic look. "I'm sorry."
"Dammit, Jack!" Saipia sighed as she rubbed her furry forehead. "You know how I feel about you. You've known for a while, now." Another sigh passed her lips. "You also know I can't let you injure Jimmy like you did without some sort of punishment. Firstly, I'm going to let you spend a couple weeks in jail. That, of course, is only if Jimmy doesn't file assault charges against you, which he just might. Secondly, I warned you that if you did something stupid like threatening an officer's life again that I'd knock you all the way down to an officer, and I'm keeping that promise. So, you can hand over those Lieutenant bars now."
Without a word, Jack removed the metal bars from either shoulder and handed them to his commander. He was a little irritated at loosing his rank, but he realized that arguing with Saipia would only get him in more trouble.
"And don't bitch about loosing your rank. If you hadn't decided a whore was more important than your job around Christmas, you would have been promoted along side Erica. So, this whole mess is your fault. Now, you'll have to work extra hard to get your rank back," Saipia said before leaving him to think about his situation.
Chief Anderton was waiting for Saipia in her office. "You know what I would suggest, Commander."
"Yeah, I do, Chief," agreed the blue wolf. "And I'm going to give him one last chance to straighten out his act."
"Don't you think he's had enough chances?" the older man asked as Saipia shifted through some of the papers on her desk. "I don't want your feelings for him to get in the way of your job."
The young wolf shook her head. "Right now, I have more feelings for Erica than Jack. And you know I'd never let my personal feelings get in the way of my job."
"I also know you're compassionate and caring. It's one of the things that makes you a good leader," Henry replied. "I'm going to trust your judgment on this one, but if Jack injures another one of my officers, you're the one that's going to lose a rank, Commander."
"Well, I've taken away his rank, suspended him and am letting him sit in jail for a while. I sure as hell hope he's gotten the message. If he screws up again, he definitely won't be part of my team anymore. Which is said, really. He used to be a great officer," Saipia countered.
The chief nodded. "That's very true. Let's hope he gets his act together. I'd hate to lose him."
Next Time:
Down to four members, the Angels will have to focus their attention on something they can handle with a smaller group. And a Genoid gang volunteers when they start killing anyone who stands in their way of money.
