The hovercar grinded to a halt in the escalating rain. It was a cool evening in late September just before the strike of midnight. The target under suspicion was just ahead, obscured mostly by the rain and darkness as he walked through the alley. The officer flashed the LED lights of the squad car, then turned them on completely with the high-beams and cherry lights. The perpetrator paused and slowly turned around to face the car.
The officer was a petite blonde, her hair in a tight bun behind her head. At twenty three, she was the youngest female in her unit, and as such, constantly felt the necessity to prove herself. A takedown like this would be risky but the upside that came with it in the form of respect and admiration was worth it.
She grabbed her service weapon from the front passenger seat, activated the non-lethal, stun rounds, and disembarked from the vehicle. She drew her weapon, gun aimed straight to his head, and stalked forward slowly. The downpour was unforgiving in its intensity, soaking her within moments of disembarking "Hands against the wall," she yelled authoritatively.
The man did as he was told with little apparent hesitation. She continued to approach slowly. At twenty feet, he could turn and run at her quicker than most individuals would expect, especially if he was jazzed with the appropriate hardware and software. Her own ocular implants detected none of this, however, and he seemed largely un-modded. The darkness and increasing rain would also complicate things if the situation got physical.
But the officer did expect such a scenario, and she played the situation accordingly.
"My name is officer Sweeney, and you are under arrest. Hands behind your back!" She quickly closed the distance.
"I didn't do shit," the black man replied assisting her by moving his hands behind his back. He felt the cold metal of the metal binders clasp harshly around his wrists. "But I know how you pigs are, so I'm not going to resist, trust me."
"Bullshit. You meet the exact description we were given," the blonde officer replied. "Stop talking. I'm taking you in. Do you have any weapons on you?"
He chuckled. "No."
"Any modifications I should know about?"
"Again, no."
The young officer began to frisk the tall, muscular man. Starting with his chest, her ran down his upper torso, every contour of muscle noted. She raised an eyebrow and kept moving. His belt band showed no signs of a knife or firearm. Sydney relaxed slightly at this but proceeded cautiously. Unarmed or not, he was at least 6'5 and muscular and could pose a problem even in handcuffs. Next, she thoroughly patted his side and back pockets. Again, no weapons. Patting his thighs proved different. Inside his jeans and running down his left was a large hard rod.
"Is that a...Maglite?" Sydney said, reaching for the flashlight. The words had barely left her lips when she jerked her hand back. The man began to laugh.
"Can't blame a pig for trying to cop a feel," he said wryly.
"You fucking pervert! Why are you hard?!" she yelled, shoving him into the concrete wall. "I'm a fucking cop!"
She grabbed him by the cuffs, directing him towards the parked car behind them. The white and blue lights of the car flickered and danced on the alley walls as they illuminated the scene.
Roughly, and accounting poorly for his height, she pushed him into the backseat of the vehicle. She slammed the door after him and surveyed the area. To her knowledge, no one saw the encounter, and no surveillance cams or drones seemed to be nearby, either. Straightening out her uniform, she ducked into the driver's seat.
Sydney punched some commands into the car's center console. "How are you doing back there?" She asked tauntingly with a smile after turning around in her seat to face him.
"Amazing. Just amazing," Jason responded, looking out the window and not making eye contact. "I didn't do shit and I don't even know why I'm here."
"You will soon enough," Sydney replied cryptically as she turned back around.
She flipped on her radio console and grabbed the mic. "Unit 347 to Unit 288. Over."
"This is Unit 288. Over," a female voice responded.
Sydney smiled. "Move to our private channel. Over." She adjusted the dial on the radio to the appropriate number.
"Well?" the female voice was heard again. It was deeper than that of the officer holding him hostage. Sultry and inviting.
"I have one, Brittany," She turned around to look at the man behind her and smiled again. "He's perfect."
---
The car whipped out of the alley and into the street. The road was poorly lit and, due to the rain, difficult to navigate as the rain began to fall at a torrential pace. Sydney flicked the cherry lights off but kept the high-beams on. They were on the outskirts of a large industrial park. It was poorly marked but well known to the locals in the area as many in the region worked there.
"You still haven't told me what's going," Jason said, breaking the silence.
"You'll see soon enough," Sydney replied without taking her eyes off the road. She downshifted into a low gear. The rain was making visibility difficult and she didn't want to miss her turn.
Sydney entered the right-hand lane and turned at the light. The industrial park was on the right, a large unmissable gate at the forefront. It was open and they entered through it.
Factories, oil refineries, mechanic shops, chemical plants, and beverage manufacturers flanked both sides of the road. It was a rough part of town; working class people doing working class jobs. Some buildings were lit, others looked abandoned or dilapidated. Many turns later, Jason noticed the already slow speed of the vehicle drop further. Sydney strained her eyes looking through the driver side window for their destination.
"I think this is it..." Sydney said slowly. By the expression on her face, she wasn't too sure. "Does that say 'Auto-Worx and Repair'?"
Jason didn't answer.
"Oh shit, that's right." She rummaged through the glove box, pulling stuff out of it and setting it on the front passenger seat. "Ah hah! Here it is!" she exclaimed.
Jason could see her holding up a key fob. He winced slightly. They were going inside.
---
The garage door groaned and began to lift, the sound of tortured metal still quite audible through the cascading rain.
Sydney drove the car though the large garage door that would have ample room for two cars to fit side by side. Motion-sensor lights flicked on as the car moved forward, illuminating the warehouse bay. It was completely devoid of cars. Auto-lifts, equipment, engine oil, and other various tools littered the bay. It looked unused but generally well-organized.