Inhalt

Blue Bloods: Another World

Welcome to the Griffiths Zone Presents

Chapter 1

Gunshots cut through the night air.

The sound of police sirens could be heard as far as Liberty Island, as the red and blue lights lit across the night sky on the way to their destination.

Detective Joseph Reagan was part of the second squad to arrive on the scene.

The first officers that had secured the scene tried to tell him to turn back and let someone else take the case.

“I'm more than capable of handling this case, Officer. I heard a cop got shot. I’m here now. Deal with it” Joe said as he walked towards the body.

Everything slowed as Joe felt something was wrong.

He walked straight to the body.

The officer appeared to him again saying the same thing over and over.

He finally reached the body of the downed officer and recognized it right away.

He tried to stop himself, but he turned the body over and looked right into the face of his brother Danny.

His screams pierced through the night sky.

“Danny! Danny! Oh god no! Please, not my brother. Oh god, Danny!” he cried out.

Joe woke with a start. He always had that dream on the anniversary of his brother Danny’s death. Well to him it was more of a nightmare.

He hated it.

He wished his dream would change. That instead of finding Danny shot to death that he was able to be saved.

He wished he had listened to the officer.

There had been so many things that went through his mind about the dream.

He always knew it was a dream when the officer repeated the same thing over again.

When everything began to move in slow motion, and he knows its Danny’s body.

Joe didn't know it was Danny until he turned the body over.

He had no choice but to leave the scene with his brother's body.

His partner wouldn’t let him stay.

He had made Joe go.

He went to the hospital with the body, where he called his Father and told him Joe was the officer that got shot.

He hated having to deliver the news to the family.

It had been rough on all of the Reagan's.

Chapter 2

Joe was delirious with fever when Frank showed up at Infinity’s infirmary.

And as Joe was talking nonsense, Frank spoke to Doc about Joe’s condition.

“Good afternoon Doctor. How is my son doing?” Frank asked.

“Commissioner Reagan. From the blood tests I ran, it appears he has an infection. I’m not finding any marks on his body that could be an outward cause for it. But I did notice his tonsils were inflamed. They will need to come out. According to his medical record, he’s only been getting the infection treated with antibiotics from previous appointments about his tonsils. I’m just bringing down his temperature so it will be safer for me to take them out,” Doc told him.

“And who were you gonna call to ask for permission exactly?” Frank asked, curious to know the answer.

“I had someone call his home, and Angela answered. We told her what was going on. She gave the go-ahead to do the procedure. I will be calling her afterward to let her know how it went. I will want him to stay a couple of days to make sure. I want to give him a thorough checkup when his temperature gets back to normal,” Doc told Frank.

“Excellent Doctor. Please keep me informed of anything unusual. Please make sure you send it to my office at One Police Plaza” Frank asked politely.

Doc looked at Frank like he already knew what he was looking for, but just needed proof of it.

“I will personally make sure you get the information,” Doc said.

Frank gave Doc a weak smile and took his leave. He had a feeling but wanted to make sure.

Joe had woken up bright and early and feeling one hundred percent better. But he was confused as to where he was. He didn’t recognize it as a hospital he would generally go.

It was too full of equipment he’d never seen before.

The doctor was one he did not recognize either

“Who are you? Where am I?” Joe asked, getting out of the bed.

“I’m the doctor for Infinity Bounty. The call me Doc,” Doc told him.

“Doc? You got a real name?” Joe asked.

“I don’t know who I am. We’ve been trying to find out who I am for the longest time. But we figured out that I had medical knowledge, and the Commander helped to get me certified as a doctor,” Doc stated.

“So? Would I be good to go? I mean I feel much better. And I wouldn't want to take up any more of your time,” Joe said.

“I was going over your vitals. You’re good to go. You're free to shower and change. Mind you we will need to get you some new clothes. I kinda had to cut you out of the clothes you were wearing on Monday at the summit meeting,” Doc said.

“What? Even my tie?” Joe asked. “Man, I don’t have very many of those.”

He looked at Doc’s uniform and noted that he didn’t have a tie.

“Why don’t you wear a tie?” Joe asked.

“Tie’s are dangerous in this line of work. When we first started out we had been wearing ties. But then an incident happened where one of our prey got a hold of it and tried to kill Jade. She is one tough girl and got herself out of trouble, but it made us realize how dangerous they were. So Jo banned ties right after that,” Doc told him.

“So the showers are this way, and I'll get you some clothes to wear so you can get home,” Doc directed him to the door that said showers.

Joe walked over to the room and asked, “Why are you in such a rush? Have somewhere to be?”

“I do. I got training to get too. Training is mandatory if I want to remain a Hunter,” Doc stated.

“Well. I'll get moving then,” Joe said as he went into the showers.

Joe was quick at getting clean. He was out of the shower and dried off and ready to get dressed by the time Doc showed up with clothes for him.

Doc was wearing his training gear.

Joe got dressed quickly.

As he dressed, he asked Doc, “Who is Joe?” unaware he was a she.

“Our Commander. You met her at the Summit meeting. The one you passed out at,” Doc said cautiously.

Joe cringed at the thought of what happened that day. And remembering who Jo was in the same instance.

Once Joe was ready to go, Doc showed him the faster way to get out of the lower levels of the Infinity Tower.

Joe found himself in what he thought was the lobby of Infinity Tower. And he saw something he never thought he would see again.

The Mayor. The Police and Fire Commissioners, and their office teams. The District Attorney and Assistant District Attorney. And his old house captain Lieutenant Gormley.

“Dad? What’s going on?” Joe asked when he saw Frank.

“Glad to see you're finally up and walking around Joe. We’re here for the tour of Infinity Bounty’s facilities. I want to see if they're as good as they claim to be,” Frank stated, surprised Joe could talk so soon after his operation.

“Well, I’ll tell you their doctor knows what he’s doing. It would have taken me longer to recover from the flu if it weren’t for him,” Joe said.

Frank was just about to say something about his tonsils, and the operation, when they heard someone talking behind Joe.

They turned to see that it was two of the girls from the summit meeting.

“Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the Infinity Tower. My name is Inara Winters. And this is Sky Tanner. We are two of the second commanders to Jo Reagan.

“We will be showing you around the Tower today. We will show you the inner workings of Infinity Bounty.

“This building, as well as our weapons, are state of the art. Whenever you plan to come into this building, you will need to scan your badges into our system.

“Our tattoos have our personal information encoded, so we do not need badges. Unless of course were on duty and dealing with the general public.

“So if you will please scan your badges, then we could continue,” Inara stated.

Joe was the last one to scan his badge, and he wanted to know what Infinity Bounty was.

But Sid refused to scan his badge.

“Lieutenant Gormley. You really should scan your badge before you go any farther. You're about to set off our security system,” Sky stated, trying hard to warn him.

“Well. Nothing happened yet,” Sid says as he walks farther.

He manages to make it up two steps before the system goes off.

Lights and a siren went off. Then a voice comes over the air saying ‘intruder alert’ over and over again.

Suddenly barrels roll out of their hiding places. They each aim at Sid and shoot a bullet that looked like a jacks piece once they hit him.

They shocked him over and over again which caused him to fall to the floor. Then again every time he moved to try and remove the bullets shocking him.

“Well, Sid. You brought this on yourself. After all, we got warned about the security system,” Frank stated, chuckling.

Garrett was trying hard to stifle his laughter. But Baker made it worse by nudging him in the ribs with her elbow.

Erin had to turn away so no one could see that she was trying not to laugh herself.

Inara had walked up to Sid, bent down to pick the bullets off him.

“Sky. Have Toby rerun a check of the system. Only one dart should have done the job. Note the system shot off two extra darts please,” Inara said.

She then walked over to the desk and grabbed a box where she put the jacks bullets into it and left it there.

“Our bullets are reusable. In its ejected form, they will continue to remain active until they have been reformed and reactivated into its primary position. A special machine does the restructuring of the bullets,” Sky told them.

Inara rejoined the group and continued with the explanation.

As she walked by, Sid crawled along the ground to the desk and scanned his badge. He didn’t want to risk getting hit again.

“Infinity Hunters uses non-lethal weapons to bring the prey in alive to face justice,” she said.

“Prey?” Erin asks.

Another second commander, Jade Summers Joins the group and states “Our Law Enforcement officers are called Hunters. So it is only natural that those we capture are called Prey.”

“So if you are all scanned in, we can start our tour of the inner sanctum,” she adds.

Inara and Jade turned to the doors going down to the lower level. Sky had already opened the doors and waited till the last member walked through before going through herself.

It turned out it was a steady ramp heading downwards.

They reached a set of double doors where both Jade and Inara had opened for the others to go through.

“Our first stop is firearms training. You have to be able to reach the target in time before you could even move on to the next step of training. The next step is weapons and hand to hand combat,” Jade stated.

There was a line up of new applicants waiting to go through the first step of training. To see if they had what it took to become a Hunter.

Rogue was there giving the lecture to the recruits while he waited for Tank to show to help with the hands-on training.

Suddenly Sky jumped in and asked, “Who wants to start their training?”

The trainees clapped and cheered in approval.

Sky, Jade, and Inara halted the tour and entered the arena.

“For now it’s just best you watch. We will show you how for now,” Jade said.

Rogue let out a low growl and shook his head as he watched the girls file into the city seen through the looking glass.

Frank noted there was tension between Rogue and the second commanders as he watched the girls take out every target. They had even completed the task before the sirens went off. It only took them two minutes to take out ten men.

Joe and Frank looked at each other.

Even some of their best officers weren't that fast.

The girls walked out of the mini city and re-holstered their guns.

“Realistically, we had these boys sooner. But we just wanted to show you what you would roughly have to do. Once you get through it's how you find your partner and experience. This exercise is where you will learn to read each other and work as a unit. Effective. Efficient. Get the job done. The people of each city we work rely on us to catch these men. Especially those that the police can’t or shouldn't go after” Jade stated.

All the Hunters automatically looked at Joe.

“What was that about?” Erin whispered to Joe.

“Wilder,” Joe whispered back.

Tank had finally shown up to continue training.

“Thank you, ladies, for the visual. We could take it from here.” Rogue said.

The girls pardoned themselves from the trainees and continued with the tour.

They showed the different training areas for other weapons and hand to hand combat.

They then went through a door where some Hunters were working with electronics and what looked like toys.

“Here is were the non-lethal weapons are made and tested. Nothing leaves this building without being approved by Commander Reagan. We are in the business of policing, witness protection and security, whether it be in guards or systems. Nothing leaves this building unless it's guaranteed to work,” Inara stated.

“We have many contracts with military and government branches on the North American continent. We have four fully functional towers. Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami, and now New York City. A fifth tower is scheduled to go up in Toronto Ontario Canada very soon,” Sky stated.

“We may overstep our bounds at times, but we try to follow the rules and Laws you follow. But sometimes we do whatever it takes to get the job done. We do it fast, and we ensure the innocent come to no harm. We take down the bad guys,” Jade stated.

Everyone was noticing that they were even working on home security systems.

“Planning on expanding into the public sector for home security systems?” Joe had asked before Frank could even say anything.

“Yes,” Sky answered.

“Home security systems will be configured with facial recognition software. Each member of the home will be able to enter the home without the use of keys. The system can tell if the host is entering the home under their own volition. It could even tell if anyone carried is either sleeping or intoxicated with alcohol or drugs. Silent alarms will sound here at Infinity Tower and will dispatch the nearest unit to the house,” Inara told them

“How? How can you? You would need to be tapped into the same frequency as the police stations to dispatch the proper people,” Frank retorted.

“Toby has been authorized to patch into any emergency frequency to ensure a quick response by police, fire or even Hunters. We even have contingency plans set in place in the event of an Adam or Amber alert,” Sky stated.

“And that would be?” Joe asked.

“The alert is sent to each Hunter through Toby. They drop whatever they are doing due to time being of the essence in these alerts. With our help and once were in place, the success rate of finding a child is higher,” Sky answered.

“Really? Who’s Toby? Some dispatcher for you Hunters?”Joe asked.

“Toby is our artificially intelligent interactive communications technician. Toby is in constant contact with Jo. He sends us messages via cell pads and other means.” Inara answered.

“Such as?” Joe questioned again.

“Any of our equipment that has communication abilities. Bikes, cells, earpieces, glasses. Some of the electronically inclined Hunters are working on ways to lighten the amount of equipment we carry. So we have a lot of new equipment to test out. Fire and police departments may even get access to some when the new stuff is tested and works properly. In fact. You will all be leaving here with your own non-lethal twenty-two’s. The cases and guns are bio-indexed. So the only person able to use it is yourself. Or a biological family member,” Inara told them.

“So you're telling me that if one of my nephews got a hold of this case and gun, they could open it and end up shooting either their mother or me? Or even each other?”Joe asked angrily.

“Well. There will be no nasty death side effect. Just a nasty shock. Or handcuffs have been placed on your wrists. The bullets have sensors that can tell when the presence of another heat signature has apprehended the person,” Inara stated.

Frank noted there was a door with a code lock at the end of the hall they were walking away. The hallway was darker than the others.

So naturally Frank wanted to know about it.

“What’s in that room down there?” he asked

“It's storage for chemicals and electronic components until Hunters that are working on projects need them. Due to the amount we work with, Jo likes to keep a proper inventory to ensure we have what we need when needed. Plus as you found out recently, we have not so smart Hunters that have access to dangerous stuff. Each Hunter has a code to get in the room. Plus within the room, each item is locked and needs a code to access as well,” Sky stated.

They then went through the medical wing as they headed for the door Joe said was the one Doc directed him to.

“Doc is in charge here. All that you see is his design. So it would be better he tells you about his domain. But he’s in training with the other off-duty Hunters. So if you want to know more, set up a time with him to come in. I’m sure he’d be more than happy to answer any questions you have.” Jade said.

They ended up in the lobby as Joe had stated.

The Mayor and Fire Commissioner and a couple of others thought the tour was over. But then Jade started speaking again.

She told them about the security features of the building, even though they had already witnessed that no one could get past the lobby.

“All of your officers will have access to our training facilities. The upper floors are for body conditioning. Here is where we work on our speed and reflexes,” Jade said.

“You will also notice a doorway to your left here. Those doors are too our living quarters and garage. Anyone planning to become a Hunter could be housed here,” Jade stated.

They walked towards the doors where the living quarters were.

“There are eight floors of apartments. You get assigned to a room based on your abilities when you first start with us after becoming a Hunter. It essentially becomes your place once you are here,” Inara stated, taking over on tour.

“We are always on site and ready to go at a moments notice. Having the living quarters on site makes it easier to get to work. Plus there are major benefits for us living here than finding an apartment. Your basic needs and reasonable wants get met. But as a Hunter, you don't want too many personal effects. Tough to move an entirely furnished apartment from one place to another,” Inara stated.

“We are under contract. Each year depending on any changes in our lives, we would sign a contract to remain in Infinity Bounty’s employ. Your earnings are held for you until you retire or are retired. You get your payout based on your involvement,” she continued.

“The earnings are based on many factors. such as illness, vacation times or even if you borrow against it,” Inara stopped mid-sentence because she saw Frank raise his hand and wave it around furiously.

“Yes Commissioner Reagan?” she asked.

“Why are you telling us this information? Isn't this something you should save for your recruits?” Frank asked.

“No. Just answering questions that people have asked before. Repeatedly since the inception of Infinity Bounty into the Law Enforcement and Protective Services. The living quarters are this way. Open doors will give a clear view as to what to expect. It's just a bed and table until the occupant personalizes it,” Inara said as she came to a stop in front of an apartment that had an occupant.

But the tenant must have felt a bit claustrophobic because they had left the door open.

“Well, this one seems occupied. Guess the owner forgot to close the door before he went to train. The training rooms are this way,” Sky said as they walked to the double doors that looked like they went into a large arena.

But before they walked in, they heard someone yelling “RUN! RUN! Run til you drop. Run till you can't run anymore. Then you keep on running. Especially you JM.

Its all on you why I’m running everyone into the ground. Next drill is the gauntlet. You'll be the first JM for pulling that stupid stunt on the Blue Bloods with that Angels Breath of yours.”

They saw that it was the Commander herself. She was driving the Hunters who were not on duty, and she was pushing JM the hardest.

Frank recognized him as the man that woke up from the dead in his morgue.

And he guessed Jo was riding him for almost blowing up the cover on one of their witness protection techniques.

And everyone glared at JM when they passed him.

Then Frank saw someone else he recognized

“Jamie?” he asked quietly enough for Erin and Joe to hear.

They both looked in the direction that Frank was looking. And there was Jamie, running the course with the other Hunters. They looked and saw that Eddie was there too.

Frank noticed Eddie seemed to be enjoying herself more than Jamie was. Eddie was enjoying getting pushed beyond her limits. Of course, you don't get much call for that being a member of the New York Police Department.

Your only expected to do the best you could do.

Jo seemed to have her eyes on Eddie as well Frank noted as they watched the Hunters.

Even though Eddie Jenko was not a Hunter, she was enjoying herself. She felt like she has gotten stronger since starting training with the Hunters.

Jamie, however, seemed to be having an issue.

She didn't care at that moment though. Jamie had said he wanted to train where she did. So just like everyone else, he was being put through the paces.

Good thing she was focused on what she was doing because JM had tripped right in front of her. But instead of stopping to help him, she jumped right over him and continued her running.

Jamie, on the other hand, had stopped running and helped JM to his feet.

Frank watched as the Commander launched herself over the rail, and land on her feet on the floor of the training arena.

Then watched still, as she pushed Jamie to the ground and pulled out her gun.

Sudden, without warning, someone had shoved him to the ground from behind. He turned over to face his attacker only to hear two shots from what sounded like an air gun. He felt a sharp, shocking pain in his chest.

He looked up and saw Jo standing over him, and JM with a gun pointed at him and a disappointed look on her face.

“Good thing you're a Blue Blood, Jamie Reagan. Because you’d make a lousy Hunter.” Jo stated as Blair jumped down from the balcony.

She walked over and pulled the shockers from their chests and placed them in a box before standing beside Jo.

“And why is that?” he asked as he sat up.

It was by that point that everyone had stopped running and was watching to see what had happened

“You just got you and one of your fellow Hunters killed. The Prey heard the commotion and took the advantage to stop the both of you. Hunters can take care of themselves if they trip and fall. For the sake of your friends to keep them safe its best to keep up the chase,” Jo yelled out.

“It's not up to you to pick JM’s chubby ass off the ground. It's his. Here, we are inside and out of harm's way. Outside is another matter altogether,” she added.

She turned intending to leave the room until she saw the tour group had made it to the training floors.

She turned back to the others and added, “Hunters travel in packs of two or more. Depending on the Prey’s class, there could be as many as eight Hunters. And those Hunters are going to be determined to be the first to catch the prey. Because that Hunter gets the bigger cut of the bounty.”

With that said, Jo walked away. up the stairs and past the tour group

as she walked away, she yelled out, “Each of you will hit the gauntlet before you even hit the showers.”

“Wasn't that a little extreme, Commander?” asked Frank.

“Not at all,” said Jo. “Being direct is what a lot of people need. and if wasting a couple of non-lethal bullets is what it takes, so be it.”

The tour group followed Jo because Inara, Jade, and Sky did.

They were heading to Jo’s office. On the left-handed side of the hallway was a window looking out onto the arena that housed the gauntlet.

“The Gauntlet. An obstacle course designed to change as the Hunters agility and abilities change. Gives the Hunters the ability to react to activity in their peripheral vision. It helps increase reaction time in emergency situations. Making them more agile,” Jo had said while watching.

They watched as Eddie was the first to go through the gauntlet. She was terrific as she reacted to each change in the course.

Jo gave Blair a signal to see if Eddie would be interested in going on a hunt with her team.

As Blair headed towards Eddie, Jo and the Tour group led to Jo’s office.

It looked like Franks office but reversed. It was apparent that more chairs were brought in to accommodate how many people were part of the tour. And as promised, there was a gun for each member of the group. They each opened their case.

“Try them out for a while. If you like using the guns enough, you could order more. It may take some time if you would prefer non-lethal weapons for every Blue Blood in the city. LA, Vegas, and Miami towers have begun orders for non-lethal in their cities already,” Jo stated.

So many questions swirled around in Franks' head. It struck him that New York police officers should have non-lethal weapons as an alternative to their lethal rounds. He was concerned about the cost to the city for these guns though.

He as about to ask about the cost, but Joe had beaten him to the punch.

“And what would be the cost of these new weapons? There would have to be a cost. I mean, your not going to arm fifty thousand New York police officers for free, are you? And even if we did have these guns, we could still get charges for excessive force and unlawful arrests,” Joe stressed.

Frank was shocked at how Joe covered what he was thinking. He turned to Erin to see what she made of it.

But what he saw in her face was surprise or shock.

Erin wanted to know what they did to Joe while he was here.

It wasn’t like him. He wasn’t a long-term thinking person.

It threw her for a loop.

She had looked around at the others and noticed the same reaction she had.

But Jo had an answer. “Those charges may be a case for you and your Blue Bloods. But for us here at Infinity Bounty it's not an issue.

Yes, there will be a cost. But nothing more than the price of what happens when a civilian gets caught in the crossfire or when a criminal dies at the hands of one of your own. In the beginning, we were subject to criminal court whenever we killed someone. Very costly. Not only to the city but us as well. We found our alternative. Plus this way, the criminal faces justice. Not us.”

Joe was not satisfied with her answer though

“From what I’ve heard about your Infinity Bounty Hunters, you use more excessive force than necessary. And you're telling me you don’t get charged for it?”Joe asked angrily.

“Sorry to say Detective, but the same rules do not govern us as you are. They are too constricting. We only use extreme, excessive force if a situation calls for it,” Jo stated.

“Well your already here. Guess we can’t do much about that anymore now can we?” Joe asked.

Jo and the other Hunters looked at each other.

“That’s very big of you Detective. But I hope we will be able to work together. After all, our goals are the same,” Jo stated.

Chapter 3

Jamie was looking for Eddie after he finished showering. He had even knocked on the women s changing room door. He yelled into the room and asked if Eddie was there.

He heard a voice say “Try the lobby. Eddie was there with Blair and Thompson. They were talking to her about something good. Must have been since she seemed excited.”

“OK. Thanks,” Jamie said out loud.

He headed towards the lobby and there she was, just like they told him. Talking to Blair and the man he guessed was Thompson.

He walked over to them.

And as he walked up, he heard Eddie say “No problem. I will be here first thing in the morning.”

Thompson and Blair said see you tomorrow and walked up towards the office.

Jamie nodded to them as they passed, but they were too engaged in their conversation to notice.

Jamie noticed that Eddie hadn’t even showered or changed yet. Whatever they wanted must have happened right after the commander had left the floor.

She was even doing a little happy dance.

He walked up to her and asked, “Hey Eddie, what's up?”

”The Commander wants me to go on a hunt with them tomorrow. Seeing that I’m off tomorrow, I’m gonna go,” she said happily.

Jamie looked upset.

“You OK Jamie?” she asked.

“Well. It’s just we made plans for tomorrow. Catch a game, movies, pizza, maybe a couple of drinks afterward,” Jamie said sadly.

“I know. But since that wasn’t going to be til later, I figured it would be good to go. The hunt will be first thing in the morning, so I figured that ill spent the morning with them, and be ready to spend the rest of the day with you,” she stated factually.

“Are you sure you're not going to be too tired? I mean, they ran us pretty hard today, and I’m wiped out,” Jamie said.

‘Well. It's not training. It's a hunt. Different. Going after the bad guys,” she told him.

“We're still on for tonight, right?” Jamie asked.

“Yea. Of course.” Eddie said, blushing a little bit.

“So, I just saw my Dad, Joe, and Erin, I'm gonna catch up with them and see what Dad and Erin were doing here. Maybe get a late lunch with them. I'll see you later,” Jamie said, giving her a quick hug and ran off to Join them.

“Sure no problem. I'll text you later. This time I'll make sure I’m showered and ready to go,” Eddie called out to him as he walked out the door.

She watched as Tank and another Hunter she didn't know to follow Jamie out of the building.

Eddie wished she could do something about Thomas Wilder. She hated the idea of Jamie being followed around by Hunters. It made her wonder if they were going to follow them around on their dates as well.

She was about to hit the showers, but Inara and Sky approached her.

“Boss wants to talk with you. Come with us, please,” Inara stated in a formal order.

Eddie followed right behind the two girls, who were having their private conversation. It was weird that they weren't talking though. She guessed they used their way of communicating.

Eddie had no problem keeping up with them as they got to the office. Inara opened the door to let them in but was surprised to see that Eddie was so close behind.

“Edit Jenko as you requested Jo,” Sky announced.

“Thank you, girls. Eddie. Have a seat please,” Jo said gesturing to the chair in front of her desk.

Eddie walked over to the chair but did not sit down, only because Jo stayed standing.

“We looked into your background. Both personal and police. But this long on the force and have not made it any farther than a beat cop. Must be frustrating to you,” Jo stated.

“Is there something, or perhaps someone holding you back from getting to that point?” Jo asked bluntly.

Eddie blushed a little bit.

“Your partner perhaps. Jamie Reagan?” Jo asked.

That made Eddie blush even harder.

“Well, my Hunters like you. Your driven and faster than I have ever seen in a recruit. Blair had brought you to my attention since you've been working out here these past few weeks. I take suggestions from my second commanders very seriously,” Jo said.

“I'm only doing as was told. I mean since I was let in and allowed to train with your Hunters. I honestly do feel like I’m being held back in the NYPD but I like being part of Law Enforcement and Protective Services,” Eddie offered up.

Jo looked at Eddie and asked, “Why are you letting your partner define what more you want out of being a Blue Blood? It would be better if you were a Detective based on your file. We see it in how you do your work. Maybe it's not just your partner. I see a lot of potential in you. Now I guess the question is. Are you ready to become a Hunter?”

Eddie looked at Jo confused at the offer.

“I thought you just wanted me to go on a hunt with your Hunters. That's still on for tomorrow, right?” Eddie asked.

“Unfortunately plans have changed. The hunt has to go down tonight. Sources say the prey got spooked and is on the move. We have to get him tonight. Prove yourself tonight. You can be a Hunter by morning,” Jo stated.

Blair walked into the office

“Blair. Please take our possible Detective to get suited up. We spin out in twenty,” Jo ordered.

“Yes, Boss,” Blair said.

Eddie let Blair pull her around. She was dazed as Blair dragged her to the change room.

She leads her to a locker that had her name on marked by a piece of masking tape.

“Masking tape is temporary. If you get past tonight, your name will be on there permanently,” Blair told her.

Eddie looked around the locker room and noticed the nameplates. They all said Detective in front of each name.

“Tonight is about proving you have what it takes to be a Hunter. Eddie, you're meant for this. Tonight your not a Blue Blood. You're one of us. You've got this,” Blair stated.

“Blair. I’m nervous. What if I tank out tonight?” Eddie asked.

“Eddie, don't worry. I’ve been watching you since you started training here. I would never recommend anyone to Jo unless I knew they were going to make it. Tonight is your chance to do the job you were meant to do.” Blair stated.

“Being a Hunter is like being a Blue Blood or FireBug. Everything is about instinct. But we get the cooler toys and harder to catch criminals. We do what we can to take the bad guys off the streets. No matter the cost. No matter what,” Blair told her.

Then she walked out of the room to give Eddie time to prepare herself.

She changed into the uniform that seemed to be for her. She reached for the non-lethal gun on the shelf. It felt better in her hands than her Glock. But a quick glimpse for a second when she closed the door to what could be her locker, she saw her name on one of the metal plates with Detective in the title.

She made her decision.

She just hoped that Jamie would understand.

She headed out to the lobby where the other Hunters were getting ready to be briefed on the hunt

Blair had seen her and walked up to her. She stood beside her and turned to look at where Jo would stand

“This suits you. Like I said, you were meant to be a Hunter,” Blair said, turning to smile at her.

“Must be. This uniform fits perfectly. A little too perfectly. Exactly how long have you had your eyes on me?” Eddie asked.

“Long enough to know you've got what it takes,” Blair answered.

Eddie was about to say something back, but Jo moved into view and seemed rushed.

“Intel has Blue Bloods planning on moving on the same building as our Prey. We have who they plan to grab. So we're going to have to get them both to ensure our guy doesn't get away. Its a good chance our guy has been in contact with their guy. That makes him our Prey too. We could have them in custody and on the way to Singapore before the Blue Bloods even know we've been there,” Jo stated.

“Alpha will take the front. Beta the back. Delta will hit the roof and Omega will surround the building in case. Be careful. Our true prey is slippery and charismatic. His passion is explosives so be wary. Move out,” Jo ordered.

The Hunters got pumped up, and all walked out the doors to the street where their rides were.

Hunters did not use cars. They used motorcycles.

“Motorcycles make it easier to get the job done. We use back lanes and sidewalks as needed. The cell to hold them would have been sent there already to ensure access when we catch the Prey. Oh, and you get to ride with me for now,” Blair told Eddie.

Before Eddie knew it, they were already there. Like Blair said. It was much faster than being in a car.

The apartment building wasn't massive so getting into position didn't take long

Blair was on the lead for Beta, so she was going to the back entrance with Eddie and two other Hunters. They went fast and quietly up two flights of stairs and came to a stop in front of the apartment door they needed.

Jo and the other Alphas were at the opposite end of the hall stopped at the end apartment there.Eddie was about to nod go ahead until she noticed something odd about the door frame.

She noticed it bulged out more than the others and stopped Blair from kicking in the door. She showed Blair the difference and then remembered Jo and the others.

Eddie ran down the hall and tackled Jo to the floor before Jo's foot even touched the door.

Jo looked angry when they stood up Eddie. But she signaled to the door frames of the apartment she was going to hit, and then to a regular.

Two of the Hunters tested the frames for explosives. Both gave a positive result. Jo nodded at Blair when Eddie turned away.

Eddie thought for a second then she grabbed a wand of explosives gum from Dex and headed into the apartment beside the one they were wanting to get into

Dex ran down to Blair and did the same thing Eddie was doing

Eddie had remembered hearing that this building wasn't completely sound so they would be able to make a doorway between the two apartments. she drew a new door on the wall and backed away

Dex did the same. they connected the two new doorways together so they would be blown at the same time.

Jo, Eddie, Blair, and Duke were waiting in the apartment til Dex blew the charge.

Dex blew the charge and the walls blew dust everywhere.

Before waiting for the smoke to clear, the four rushed in and managed to catch both men they were after.

Only because they were wasting time disarming their own bombs.

The Hunters dragged both men into the hall.

Jo then pulled out her cell and scanned both their faces into it.

Facial recognition confirmed. Betas had caught their man. The Alphas had grabbed the Blue Bloods guy.

Jo was notified by Toby that the Blue Bloods were outside the building.

“These may be the men you wanted Jo. Unfortunately, the Blue Bloods will want their man. And another unfortunate is that this collar was that of Detective Joseph Reagan. From what I've heard, he's a hard-ass about his collars. He won't just let you leave with Miller. Toby said.

“Don't worry about me, Toby. I'm sure I can handle him. I've been up against hard-asses before. What would make him different?” Jo asked

“The possibility that he could be blood. He could be your Father. The Reagan's we have run into so far could be family as well,” Toby stressed.

“Possible family or not, they aren’t taking him,” Jo stressed.

Sure enough, as Jo and the other Hunters got outside there were the cops as Toby told her.

They had surrounded the boxes wondering what they were.

Joe and his partner Maria walked right up to Jo. He was furious. Oddly enough, Maria wasn't. She was trying not to laugh for some reason.

“How dare you Hunters interfere with a police investigation. One of those men is ours. We’re taking him,” Joe said angrily.

Jo spoke out, “Sorry to disappoint you, Detective, but you lost your rights to your collar once he came into contact with our Prey. You will have to take it up with your Chief or your PC, but you're not getting him now. If we had let you get your guy. You would have gotten yourself blown up. If it wasn't for our new Hunter, we could have gotten blown up too,” Jo said turning to where Eddie was standing with Blair and Dex.

He turned to face where Jo was looking and noticed Eddie right away.

“Eddie? That’s my brother's partner. Resorting to stealing officers now are ya Commander?” Joe asked.

“Not really. But I wouldn't want her to waste away as a beat cop when she is obviously meant for something more.” Jo stated.

It was time to go.

Joe pointed at Jo and said, “This is not over. You can have him for now. But we're going to get an injunction to get him back from you at Infinity Tower. You will have no choice but to release him.”

And with that, the Blue Bloods left the area and went to their station house.

Eddie watched as they left then she thought to herself. ‘I hope he doesn't tell Jamie about this. I hope Joe will let me tell him.’

The Hunters finally left the scene and got back to Infinity Tower as fast as they had gotten to the apartment building.

Eddie watched as they put the bikes away. But because her mind was preoccupied she didn't notice where she was until she got a nudge from Sky.

“Are you OK Eddie? You seem out of it,” Sky asked.

She looked around and noticed she was in Jo's office.

“Snap out of it. Jo will be here soon.” Jade said

“Right. um did Jo really say I was a Hunter back at the apartment? I heard her say that to Detective Reagan,” Eddie asked, wondering if what was said was real.

“Yes, I did,” Jo stated.

“Normally I'm on the ball and can see when somethings going wrong. Not many of my Hunters would have the guts to tackle me. Good job today Detective Jenko. Here's your badge. You'll need to use it at all times. Unless you get an Infinity tattoo. There is a QR code embedded in the tattoo so you won't have to use the badge in here. And if you wish, you can move into infinity Tower. I know you have your own place, but it could make it easier in some cases. You would get assigned to more hunts. What do you think?” Jo asked about her offer.

“I guess it's a good thing my lease is up. It would probably be harder to get out of a lease than it is to get into one. Thank you, Commander Reagan. I won't let you down,” Eddie said happily.

“Well, it's not me you should worry about letting down. Its the citizens of New York that will want blood when things go south. You can start tomorrow. You may want to hand in your uniform to NYPD unless you're required to work through a notice period. You may want to talk to your Commissioner,” Jo stated.

“I will get to the PC if I have to. As an officer, I should only have to give in a two weeks notice. I’ll hand that in this evening. Maybe see if I can get my Captain to let me go sooner than the notice,” Eddie said.

“Good to hear Jenko. Let me know if you need any help sometimes they just need to hear from me about how better an opportunity you have with us,” Jo said, offering to help.

“Yes, Commander. I will if I need help,” Eddie said.

“So you girls are free to go. Oh and Eddie please don't make it a habit of tackling me. I don't want the others thinking I'm letting you get away with that little stunt you pulled. And use this evening to get your affairs in order. Your Captain isn't the only hurdle you have to jump.” Jo stated

Eddie nodded in agreement with her and turned to leave the office. Blair, Sky Inara, and Jade followed.

Blair stayed in step with Eddie as they walked down the stairs towards the lobby.

“So now that you're a Hunter, what did you want to do first?” Blair asked.

”I should really take care of everything I need to. I have to hand in my resignation to my Captain, talk to my landlord. And most of all, Jamie. He's been my partner for so long. But I'm finally becoming a Detective. I've been wanting that for so long,” Eddie said wondering if there was anything she missed.

“OK. I'll catch up with you later on. Let me know if you need help with moving,” stated Blair.

“Ill text you when packed,” Eddie told Blair as she walked out of Infinity Tower.

She made it to the bottom of the stairs when it finally hit her.

She sat down and took a breath.

“WOW!” she exclaimed to no one in particular.

“WOW what?” a voice said.

“They move fast. Faster than NYPD. I ended up becoming a Hunter before I realized it,” Eddie said in a daze.

Then she snapped out of it and realized someone was there. She looked up and saw that it was Frank Reagan.

“Commissioner Reagan. Sir. What brings you to Infinity Tower?” Eddie asked.

“Detective Reagan. He has a complaint against Infinity Bounty for stealing their collar. Then he also tells me one of my officers from the twelfth house has become a Hunter. Is that what you want Officer Jenko? Or should I be saying, Detective Jenko?” Frank asked.

“Look. I only started training here because I felt a need for something more challenging. I think they might be right. I think I should be a Hunter. I've been working so hard but I can't seem to get past being a beat cop. I want to be a Detective. This is what I've been training for with NYPD. It's time for a change. I love being Jamie's partner. I learned so much from him. But I feel like I’m being held back,” Eddie said.

“When do they want you to start?” Frank asked.

“Soon. Tomorrow,” Eddie told him sheepishly.

Frank took a deep breath and let it out

“Well, Eddie I'm sure you will be missed in the twelfth. It is a shame to lose you to Infinity Bounty. A change clearly is needed. Come to see me if and when you're ready to come back to NYPD. I will be keeping an eye on you as a Hunter. Make us proud. I will clear it with your House. However, I'm leaving the telling of this to your partner.” Frank stated.

“Thank you, sir. I just hope he will be as understanding as you. Any ideas on how to tell him?” Eddie asked shyly.

He just smiled at her, nodded and walked up the steps.

“Thank you again, sir,” he heard Eddie say with a hint of frustration.

He got to the top of the stairs and opened the doors to infinity Tower

He walked over to the receptionist and said, “I need to speak with your Commander.”

The young man behind the desk wasn't the type of person Frank expected to see behind the desk. He was about six feet and very muscular in build.

He kind of had a mix of Joe and Joe on him.

“Please scan your badge,” he said.

Frank scanned his badge and the young man behind the desk said “Welcome back Commissioner Reagan. The Commander's office is up to those stairs. I believe she is expecting you.”

“I wish it was under different circumstances,” Frank stated as he headed away from the desk.

He realized if Jo was anything like Joe, he may end up leaving empty-handed.

But unless she has an argument that could validate why she took Joe's collar as well as her own

The young girl he remembered as Sky was leaving Jo's office

“Welcome back Commissioner. Jo is ready for you,” she said as she pointed to the open door behind her.

He walked into the office. He noted that Jo was standing in the same position Joe and Erin were standing when he left his office.

The Reagan Family power pose as Nicky called it.

Stern expression on the face, hands on hips, and looking unmovable, looking an awful lot like someone close to him.

“I was expecting you, just not so soon,” stated Jo.

“Is there a reason the NYPD couldn't take their man? Why there had to be a fight at all about the placement of custody of a man under a criminal investigation?” Frank asked

“It depends on what your Detective told you,” Jo said bluntly.

“He said you refused to hand over his collar simply because he had come into contact with your Prey, I believe you call the criminals you chase,” Frank argued

“Yes. That is exactly what I said. He cannot have his collar. Miller learned from his time with our Prey. So, unfortunately, you being here won’t change anything about this. We have no idea how long he's been in contact with Jake Smiley. Jake is a very charismatic and dangerous person. He can talk anyone into anything. The reason we were sent after him is for the very reason that he escaped from police custody. Actually. Not really escaped. The officer on duty let him out,” Jo told Frank.

“And you think Miller can talk his way out of our cells now? Or are you more worried about the people in the holding cells being influenced by what he can apparently do?” Frank asked.

“Yes. Jake has been good at getting people to be like him. The last time we had caught up to him, he tried to use his charisma on me, but it didn’t work. He thought it did until I punched him in the face. He only got away because he knocked me off the building I had cornered him on. We were just testing out our bio-uniforms,” Jo told him.

“Bio-Uniforms?” Frank asked.

“It naturally enhances what we can already do. That’s why we appear to have faster reflexes. It helps us when we have to push ourselves farther than we should,” Jo explained.

“And this Jake Smiley character? Can your people get suckered by him as well? Frank asked.

“We only caught him this time around because we never gave him a chance to speak. We bound both their mouths because they had masks on. But our facial re-cog was able to see through the masks. When we got them back here, your Detectives collar tried the same thing Smiley would have done. He tried to sweet talk Inara into letting him go. Jade put a stop to that quickly. Doc had to wire his jaw, unfortunately,” Jo offered.

“Well. We need to come to some form of agreement about Miller. He has to face justice for his crimes. Any way that we can give the people what they want? Especially for the families that he did wrong? I can’t have the citizens of New York hounding my people because they don’t know where Alvin Miller is,” Frank stated.

“At this present moment, No. Jake Smiley and Alvin Miller are on their way to Singapore. You could let the people know he has been arrested and will have his day in court. It will be later, rather than sooner. They may even be comforted by the fact that Infinity Bounty has him imprisoned,” Jo stated.

“You could have saved us this whole conversation if you had just told me that to begin with,” Frank stated.

“I know that. But Doc suggests I get more involved with the people I will be working with. And I wouldn’t be having this unnecessary and somewhat fun conversation. I also need to know if you would be as good for us as you are for your Blue Bloods,” Jo said smartly.

“Alright. Well, I’m gonna take my leave, but I’d like to ask a personal question if I may,” Frank stated.

“OK. Ask away,” Jo said.

“Who is your mother?” he asked.

“Caroline Turner,” she answered.

With that, he gave a slight smile and said, “Have a good evening Jo.”

Then he turned and walked out of the office.

She heard him talking to someone on the other side of the door, but the voices were too muffled to hear what was being said.

Inara, Sky, Blair, and Jade walked through the door into the office, chattering away. They had been talking about Eddie.

“All I can say is I’m surprised that Jo didn’t kill her after Eddie tackled her like that. For me, all she did was prove how smart she is. Not how good.” said Jade.

“Being smart is how a lot of us got here Jade. Being good is knowing the five W’s and knowing when to back off or down. We all had to do the same thing before Jo would even let us out of the building to go on hunts. Plus Eddie’s police record speaks in her favor,” Sky yelled after Jade because she turned around and left the room.

Without looking back Jade, with Inara in tow, gave a dismissive wave and said, “Yea yea. Got it Sky. Your right.”

Sky was annoyed that Jade dismisses her so easily. It wasn’t her fault she was the youngest Hunter. Jo was the only one that seemed to understand Sky. But of course, they were closer, like sisters. And have known each other since childhood.

Sky, Jade, and Inara were having real issues with Jo taking control of each situation and felt she didn’t trust them enough to do their jobs.

Jo had said there was something inside her that would not allow herself to just sit back.

Jo had been something else entirely before she became a Hunter.

Chapter 4

Eddie was already late for her date with Jamie.

But she needed to find a way to gently break the news to Jamie that she was going to be a Hunter.

She finally made it to a new place called Melody’s.

He looked up and saw that she was finally there.

He stood up as she walked over.

He pulled out her chair and gave her a hug before they both sat down.

“You are late. Is everything OK?” he asked.

She nodded and said “Everything good. Good news, I don’t have to go on the hunt tomorrow morning. That’s actually why I’m late. We went after him tonight.”

“That’s good. So we can have more time together tomorrow, right?” Jamie asked hoping she would say yes.

Eddie paused and said “I don’t know about you but I’m hungry. Have you ordered yet?”

Jamie’s face dropped and answered “No. No, I haven’t. I was waiting for you.”

Jamie watched Eddie as she read through the menu.

“So. What’s going on, Eddie?” Jamie asked bluntly.

“What do you mean?” she asked trying to be normal.

“I asked about being able to spend more time with you tomorrow because the hunt was already done. But you didn’t answer. So. What’s going on?” Jamie asked adamantly.

Eddie thought for a few moments and could see Jamie was clearly upset.

But, she would have to tell him because she would not be there when he got to work on Friday.

“I’m sorry, Jamie. As of today, I’m no longer a member of the New York Police Department. The hunt was really to see if I had what it took to be a Hunter. I, um. I start tomorrow with Infinity Bounty as a Hunter,” she told him slowly.

Jamie didn’t say anything for a few minutes.

“Jamie? Are you alright?” Eddie asked him.

“I didn’t even know you were considering leaving the NYPD. How long have they been looking at you for?” Jamie asked, a blank expression on his face.

“According to Blair, since I started training with them two months ago. Honestly, I never really thought about becoming a Hunter. It just kind of happened,” she told him.

“It didn’t seem like you wanted to tell me. Why?” Jamie asked her.

“Well. We’ve been partners for so long that I wasn’t sure how you would take it. I just didn't want you to get the wrong impression on why I became a Hunter,” Eddie stated.

Jamie thought about what she said for a few moments.

“Why would you think I’d be upset about this. I mean being a Hunter obviously has its perks. But there may also be drawbacks too. I hope you weighed every side before making your decision,” Jamie worriedly said.

“I swear, Jamie. I really did think about this before I agreed to become a Hunter,” Eddy stated fast.

“Then what were you worried about?” Jamie asked, a little angrier than expected.

Eddie pursed her lips and thought what she would say out carefully.

“Because I’ll be a Detective. They won’t let anyone out of the Tower without that title,” Eddie said slowly.

A big smile spread across Jamie’s face.

“That’s great. I’m proud of you. I mean, you’ve been working so hard to become one. And it’s not fair for you to be held back because I’m honestly not ready to become a Detective yet,” Jamie confided.

“Really? Why not? Why wouldn’t you want to become a Detective?” Eddie asked.

“It’s not that I don’t want to be one. I just think there are more things to learn first. I’ll get there. Don’t worry about me on that front. Detective Edit Jenko. So how does it feel after all this time?” Jamie asked.

She smiled and said, “It feels pretty good. It will be a little strange reporting here instead of the Twelfth. But in the end, it will be worth it.”

The waiter finally showed up at their table to take their orders.

They sat there in silence for a bit.

“I’m sorry I’m leaving you without a partner for a bit. The Captain assures me he’ll have a new partner for you by Friday,” Eddie told him.

“Ah! I’m not worried. I don’t know about you, but I heard a rumor he wants to switch everyone up in the partner area next month. I guess I’ll be getting mine sooner,” Jamie said.

They ate their meals in silence.

When they were done, they went for a long walk around the area.

Each were at a loss for what

Impressum

Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 10.01.2021
ISBN: 978-3-7487-7095-4

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