4th Wall Universe

Stiff Hand of the Law

#StiffHandoftheLaw

#AnExtremelyShortStory

#ByMReneLee

#4thWallUniverse

"All officers, we have a 10-32 at the intersection of Valerie Drive and Beachtree Street. Repeat. We have a crime in progress at the intersection of Valerie Drive and Beachtree Street. Be on guard. Gunshots reported. Suspects are presumed armed. All available officers, report," the radio speakers yell.

Lt. Detective Terry turns the volume down to better ignore the repeated message. She is already on the way. Not because she is a seasoned officer of the Las Pacificas Police Department and knows this city like the back of her hand, but because she got the tip off almost twenty minutes ago. It wasn't a well-trusted informant that told her either. Instead, it was a much appreciated, albeit secretive, ally.

Lt. Terry quickly moves towards her destination with sharp turns and curb mountings. She speeds along, hoping the wailing sirens and flashing lights move fellow drivers and pedestrians out of the way. When Black Scorpion contacted her about the preemptive strike that the Jade Tiger Yakuza were planning on the Mimes, she knew it was going to be nasty. The two gangs had been going at it for months now. The violence waned a bit after Black Scorpion returned but it wasn't long before the turf war resumed. No matter how many thugs Black Scorpion broke, more appeared on both teams. Now, it looks like even the Yakuza are growing weary of the fighting.

She whips around a final corner just as she hears a few final gunshots. Lt. Terry's squad car pulls up just as Black Scorpion releases a collapsed thug from his hands. She steps out of the car and thinks to herself, how can such a little man take out so many men so quickly?

He sees her and begins approaching with his crimson scarf blowing in the wind. When they meet, Black Scorpion offers no greeting. He starts with, "Those are Takahiro's men. That's most of them. Some of them jumped in their cars and sped off before I got to them." He pauses as he looks over his shoulder for a second. He adds, "That's about nineteen. Those that still can won't be standing up anytime soon."

Lt. Terry shakes her head. "You've gotta stop breaking these men's bodies. It's excessive."

"I though you said killing them was excessive," he says sarcastically. The SEAC appears above them.

"If you keep doing this they're going to be coming after you soon," she warns.

"I doubt it," he says curtly.

Raising her voice, she puts her hands on her hips and asks, "And why is that?"

"Because they need me..." A cord drops down and he grabs it. "And if they get in my way, they'll be experiencing my excessive force first hand," he adds, before shooting up into the stealth aircraft.

Lt. Terry looks up at the ship. "How the hell did you stop Mr. Mime's crew from storming out and retaliating?"

Black Scorpion looks down, "I took them out first. They're in there...in pretty much the same condition." All Lt. Terry can do is shake her head. "I'll be in touch." The SEAC closes and disappears into the sky.

"Of course you will," she says to herself as faces the pile of men laid out in the middle of the street.

"This is Lt Terry. Suspects are down. I repeat. Suspects are down." A voice responds but it is muffled. Lt. Terry waits for the other officers while wondering what to think of her secret partner and his methods.