Chapter 2: Not One Stone, But Two
The Eden City Police Department was located at the very heart of the Administrative Square, an area that occupies the local government, including the Mayor's office. The force was mostly comprised of humans, but also employ non-humans, whom their true nature is known to their human counterparts. Internal conflicts between angels and demons rarely occur, but have been a desolated issue since the city's foundation.
Cases of such have fortunately decreased as the city modernized, and the city resident's co-existed in harmony. There have been some events that pushed the city into terror, but many officers, regardless if they are from the Angel, Demon, or Human Division, understand that they always got each others back.
The reception area wasn't usually busy around this time of year. Many officers who walk by tend to their duties while some in a group escort a hostile demon to the detainment area for processing.
Samantha walked up to the steps of the entrance and entered the building. She stopped at the reception area and stood still; her eyes prone to her surroundings. She felt nervous yet intrigued about the place. Samantha walked up to the receptionist who appeared to be focused on her computer. Not wanted to be patient, she called out to her and tapped at the mirror to catch her attention.
"Uh, hi. Excuse me?"
"How can I help you ma'am" The receptionist had a raspy voice. It sounded like she had something in her throat, but Samantha chose to not question it.
"Hi. I'm here about my, uh, transfer?"
The receptionist's eyes squinted. Her face expressed suspicion but did not say anything as she picked up the office phone and dialed away. Samantha sighed to herself. She was confused to the expression that the receptionist gave her.
"Was it something she said to her?" Samantha murmured to herself until the receptionist placed the phone down.
"Samantha Grace, correct?" The receptionist said.
"Lieutenant Grace, technically. But yeah." Samantha said as she gave out a fake smile to the receptionist, hoping this moment would pass on quickly.
The receptionist told Samantha to stay at the reception until someone came by to escort her to her desk. Her stuff was in the car, but her nervousness overwhelmed her thoughts when she walked to the station. She quickly noticed how tidy the station was and genuinely was surprised by it. Samantha's previous station was under budget by the State of North Dakota, and she grew resentment by how management slowly became over the years she worked there.
It felt like minutes for Samantha, but she kept a close track of time as she stood and continued to watch the life around the station. Bartley walked into the reception area and noticed Samantha standing around. He stopped and looked at her briefly until Samantha's eyes met his. They both stared at each other for a second until Bartley approached her with an unease fondness.
"Lieutenant Grace, I take it?" Bartley said as he adjusted his unfixed tie.
"Um, Samantha. Who are you?" Samantha stuttered, feeling suspicion of Bartley who had just walked in front of her.
"Captain Hale Bartley. I mean, Captain Bartley Hale, sorry." Bartley cleared his throat and shook his head as attempts to maintain formalities with Samantha.
Samantha chuckled to herself and too shook her head at him. "Oh no, no. It's fine. Please." She lends out a handshake to Bartley, but he simply glared at her hand and back at her.
"I don't do handshakes, sorry. It's a thing I have." Bartley said as Samantha pulled back her hand. She chuckled once more at him. Bartley was confused by her chuckles. His eyes were squinted and wanted to ask her about it, curiously. "Uh, what's so funny?"
"You just apologized a second time, sir."
"Oh, I see." Bartley was astounded by Samantha with her bubbly personality. It reminded her of someone he knew, someone who was a kin to him, but before he could think more about it he blocked all thoughts of it.
Samantha looked at Bartley who appeared to be in another world. His eyes widened and affixed at at Samantha's eyes. She felt a bit of unease by this and snapped her finger in front of him. Bartley shook his head and fell back into reality, he blinked multiple times until he sighed heavily.
"Hey, sir. Welcome back to Earth." Samantha said in a sneering way.
"Right, I'm sorry-"
"Sorry? I know, sir. I know." Samantha said at the same time as Bartley, knowing that particular word is his catchphrase in any conversation.
"Right, um. Follow me." Bartley said to Samantha as he began to walk. She was confused, but followed him through the station beside him.
"Uh, sir? Where are you taking me?" Samantha asked curiously.
"To your desk. You are working for me now, for my department."
"What department-"
"My. Department. I'll tell you more when we get there." Bartley said as Samantha shuts her mouth and continues on without any word.
Every bit of the station was filled with life as Samantha passed a few hallways and areas that caught her attention. She couldn't believe somethings she saw, her confusion came but faded as it was replaced by a sense of intrigue, and impressiveness. Some areas were designated for particular divisions of the ECPD, some integrated while some for the division its designated to.
The Homicide Department was an integration area for all divisions, but the Arson Unit was an area for the Demon Division. It hadn't struck Samantha until now that she never felt this sense of intrigue or happiness in a while. She usually forged it to make the people she knew not worry for her, and tries her best to help people in need. She didn't really expect to be in a job where she would be forcing the law on demon dwellers.
Samantha engulfed a titter on her face as she continued to look around. Bartley looked at Samantha beside her, his head tilted and admired her adorableness, but would hide the expression as to not get seen by his colleagues around him. He knew that the station was like a web of information, any news from one officer would eventually be known by everyone in the station. He mostly kept his personal thoughts and habits to himself to prevent this form of eventuality.
Bartley slowed down, as did Samantha, as they arrived at the area of the station that Bartley wanted to lead Samantha to. It was a medium room, a couple of desks, a meeting area, and some people that worked for Bartley's department. He held the door for Samantha as she walked in. Her hands both clutched and her sense of nervousness began to roll back. Samantha looked around the desk and at the people who too looked back at her in curiousness.
"Well, Samantha. Welcome to my department." Bartley said as he walked beside her, looking around the room and at his colleagues.
"Um, sir. You didn't say which department." Samantha added as she glanced at Bartley with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, right. Apologies. You're working for me in the Special Crimes Unit 7, or SCU for short."
Samantha continued to glance at Bartley as she placed her hands inside her pocket to hide her nervousness. "Unit 7, sir?"
"There are other units within the SCU. Unit 7 is an integration department between all divisions. While some are more keen on the segregation of divisions." Bartley said as he began introducing the other people she'll be working with.
Samantha met them one by one with Bartley. She later found out that she was the first human to join the Special Crimes Unit. It surprised her, but couldn't figure out that reason. Some of the people she met were of course not humans and wanted to ask them about their originals form, but hesitated out of pure politeness.
Nearly all of them were reluctant to have her on board, howbeit, there was one person who wasn't so eager to have her. Samantha met Sergeant Avery, but looked away as she greeted her from her desk. Samantha froze for a split second until Bartley unfroze her and dragged her to his office. She regained her consciousness and pushed Bartley's hand from her shoulder like a child as they entered in his office.
Samantha shook her head and fixed her sleeves as Bartley sat down on his chair. He waved at Samantha to close the door and leaned a bit close on his desk.
"Sorry about that. Sergeant Avery is a bit dangerous when she doesn't want you be there beside her." Bartley said.
Samantha's eyes squinted at Bartley as she took a seat across from Bartley. She glanced at Sergeant Avery's desk briefly before back to Bartley. "I see. So, she's some kind of dangerous caster?" She said sarcastically while Bartley's face was unphased by her comment.
"Yep. She probably has the thoughts of wanting to kill you. She brings this energy of negativity, I guess. Freezes you like- uh, a Medusa." Bartley replied in a sarcastic, yet disturbing tone as Samantha expressed worry for herself.
"Oh." Samantha said and blinked. Not knowing what else to say to him.
Bartley smiled a bit at Samantha, but would evaporate within a split moment. Samantha caught attention to that brief smile, but didn't want to question it. Bartley stood up from his seat and walked up to Samantha in front of her, sitting down on his desk. Moments like this for Samantha end up in personal talk, usually about traumatized events or unfortunate news.
"You know, Lieutenant. I know what it was like for you what you did. It wasn't your fault, you know."
Samantha looked away from Bartley. She knew what he meant, but didn't want to linger on what he meant further. Bartley watched as she looked away from him and paused briefly. He didn't know whether or not he should continue, but decided to drop it as he didn't want to press on and be seen as an asshole of a boss.
He cleared his throat. He stood up once more and walked towards a board that Samantha was looking at curiously. He pointed at it and looked at Samantha.
"This is why you're here, Lieutenant. I brought you to this department, because you, in particular, have potential." Bartley said as he continued to point the board, looking at it himself and the strings the connect everything.
The board was filled with numerous crime scene photos, testimonies, and a drawn theories that himself and his colleagues made. Samantha was intrigued by the board. Bartley looked at it like a line that connect to everything, but Samantha pictured it differently. She stood from her seat and analyzed with intricate, careful view. She saw something, a pattern more or less.
"Sir. I think I'm seeing a bigger picture than just random, connected murders." Samantha said as she pointed to each one differently.
Bartley paced back a bit, looking at everything and back to Samantha. "What are you seeing, Lieutenant?"
"A message, sir. It's a message."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone