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Golden Shields ( Katy1008 & CrimsonMaster )

Evie dipped the barrel of the Glock just a touch and fired a single shot into the dirt a few inches away from Chin's right foot. Then she brought the muzzle back up, reaiming it. "If you want me to shoot you in the back then believe me I will." She took a few steps closer as Chin mentioned the flowers. Her mind went back to the previous night. Her stomach tightened.

"I got them." She said quietly. "You're a sick man. The only place I want to bury the hatchet is in your head. You had your men shoot people I care about and the only reason they're still alive is because the dirty cop you picked to do the job is incompetent." She took another couple of steps closer. The emotions of nearly losing jack and Steve started to resurface. "You can't possibly think that I would do what Nate Long did. I nearly threw away everything last night to send you to hell. I'm hardly going to want o work for you. You're going to the chair. Your organisation is done." Another step forward.
 
The shot from Evie's weapon did nothing to affect Chin. A lesser man would have jumped, or perhaps begged for Evie not to shoot him. A lesser man would be shaking in his shoes right now. Chin was not a lesser man. From a young age, Chin trained everyday in the art of Kung Fu. He could kill someone with his hands & feet just as easily as he could with a gun or knife. It became a way of life for Chin. Normally Chin would prefer to know something of Evie's background. He knew very little about her personally. Chin only knew that she was the daughter of a rival. Another cop from a family of cops. He assumed that her training would be the same as most police officers. Good enough to handle most lawbreakers, but not good enough to handle a Kung Fu Master. Evie however was better trained that Chin could have expected. Her special training from the NCIS would show. Chin waited until Evie came close enough. He moved like lighting. Spinning like a top for a moment, knock the glock from her hand. Chin reach out and grabbed Evie by her throat. " You should really think twice about my offer........It would keep your family alive if you joined me......Refusing would signing their death warrants. " Chin had the upper hand as he spoke. He felt that Evie was way out of her league.
 
The kick came as a complete surprise. The speed with which chin had moved came as a complete surprise. She'd made a rookie mistake and in her head she was already berating herself, even as she felt his hand tightening around her neck. She felt the panic starting deep inside her as her hands came up to his wrist and forearm. He brought his face inches from hers; close enough that she could feel his breath on her face. She knew she had to control the panic. She had to think quickly. And then she heard Sam's voice in her head. "Move quickly. Attack. Be aggressive." But she wasn't about to go against Cahill. Chin was an altogether different proposition. Nonetheless she had to believe she could do something. She let go of his arm. With as much effort as she could, she bought the heel of her hand hard into the middle of Chin's solar plexus. At the same time she threw a punch directly at Chin's jaw. It was enough to make him lose his grip and step back but he didn't go down.. Evie saw the look of surprise on his face, she saw the hint of a smile appear. If he had taken him by surprise with her attack, she probably wasn't going to do it again. Breathing hard, watching him, she thought about looking to see where the Glock had finished up, but looking away was a risk she couldn't take.
She heard Sam telling her "attack..." But at the same time something from the training manual was saying self defence... Detain and subdue. This was not a fighting cage.
 
Evie's attack had knocked Chin back against his car. He was surprised by the fact that she broke his hold. But he was also surprised by how strong her attack had been. Clearly their was more to Evie than just looks and a badge. Chin had fought against different people using different styles. He could tell from the way Evie struck him that she was trained in fighting and just from the LAPD. Someone took the time to teach Evie how to fight martial arts style. Chin couldn't tell just what style she used. That would come in time. Chin gave Evie a fan't smile as he wiped a small bit of blood away from his lip. He them moved into the Kung Fu style known as the snake. His knees were bent. His upper body was lower to the ground. Chin's hands & arms moved like a pair of snakes. He began striking at Evie, testing her to see how she would defend herself. To see how she would act. She could go on the defense, or she could attack. Chin would learn alot about Evie's skills in the next few minutes. It was already obvious that she didn't learn the martial arts from the local YMCA. Chin continued using his hands to strike at Evie. His feet were used also, but his kicks were very short since his stance was so low.
 
Evie stepped back, lifting her hands a little and preparing for an attack even though she had no real idea what that attack might be. She saw the smile, saw the small amount of blood appear on his lower lip. To start with Chin didn't seem to be willing to take on the fight. Ther than wiping hs lip he made very little move to do anything. And then suddenly he moved and almost before she knew what was happening, his arms began to move and strike out at her. Chin's hands were flat and it was his fingers which he seemed to lead with, aiming then consistently at her eyes or neck. Evie held her hands in fists. This time they were unprotected by tape and gloves. She blocked and parried as Chin rained down on her. Any attempt she made at a punch was equally deflected. His success rate was greater than hers and while her defences were not bad on every third or fourth strike Chin got through. Evie was moving backwards...Chin stepping forward. And then he caught her squarely on her cheek bone she stumbled a little but managed to stay on her feet. The stumbled took her out of Chin's reach and he didn't move to close it. She regained her form as quickly as she could, gazing back as the smug expression, breathing hard. She could hear Sam's voice telling her to move faster and to attack and she almost laughed. She knew she was out of her depth but she had no intention of backing down.
 
Evie may have been out of her depths, but she knew how to fight. Sam & Callen trained her well. Evie's style was a mix of Karate & Muay Thai boxing. Chin's hand strikes maybe fast, but that's all he had. His kicks were short and far less powerful then hers would be. Chin was just testing Evie's ability to fight. Testing how good she was and what she knew. This would help him discover what style she was using. Give Chin some insight on where Evie got her training. Right now Evie had the advantage if she used her feet. Her kicks would take Chin off balance and put him on the defensive. Her legs are longer then her arms. She can strike quicker and harder with her legs. Until Evie was ready to attack, Chin would keep striking at her with his hands. Their movements were sharp & quick. He was able to block her punches while getting a few of his own shoots in. Although he wasn't trying to connect at this time. That would change if Evie showed herself to be a danger. Chin would have no choice but change his style or he'd get his ass kicked. " You fight like a typical woman!.......Weak and helpless!.....Whoever trained you should be ashamed that they wasted their time on you! " Chin was hoping that some verbal slaps would help bring Evie into this fight. There was nothing like a few insults to spur someone on.
 
Evie knew what Chin was doing and she knew she wasn't a typical female fighter. She had the belt o prove it. She knew that Chin was trying to rile her...goad her and Evie knew she should probably just let this play out. She was sure someone from her team would be there soon if not the whole team. She knew she should be patient. But she couldn't let the comment go. Maybe he meant it. Maybe she hadn't proved she was a decent fighter. Feeling her cheek bone stinging a little she pushed the ache aside and moved into an attack. She strung a sequence of punches, twists, turns and kicks together. Now Chin moved back. They didn't back track entirely over the ground Chin had effectively gained but they were closer to the car again. After the sequenced attack, it was Evie's turn to break it off. She was still staring at Chin who was breathing a little harder himself now... A little.

"You wanna reassess your valuation Mr Chin?"
 
Chin quickly found himself trying to block some powerful kicks. These kicks caused an opening where Evie could throw and land some punches. Riling Evie proved to Chin that she could defend herself. Her balance was amazing and her strikes painful. Chin's plan worked. He noticed her moves. He saw the mix of Karate & Muay Thai. Someone had trained her to fight MMA. The style she used was the same used by US Navy Seals and Special Forces Units. Chin knew that this fight wouldn't last. Someone was coming looking for Evie sooner or later. Chin suspected more sooner then later. Having a desire to escape, Chin switched his fighting style from the snake to the tiger. The Tiger style was more aggressive, more powerful then the snake. Chin's kicks would do more damage now then before. His fingers form the claws. More then once during a fight like this. Chin had ripped the throat out of the person he was fighting. This is how deadly the tiger style could be. Chin's attack became more furious which put Evie back on her heels. She however didn't stay there. Evie continued with her own attacks. The two went back and fourth drawing blood from each other. It wasn't until Chin used a spinning windmill kick that he took control over the fight. His kick connected sharply against the top of Evie's head. This caused Evie to drop down to her knees. Chin reached down and grabbed Evie by her hair. He lifted her head so he could see her. " You were a worthy opponent.........Sadly it must end here. " Chin said as his free hand rose into the air. His fingers curled into the tiger's claw. He would rip out Evie's throat and she'd be dead in moments.

Just then Tom, James & Kim rounded the corner from the alley. Each of them had their weapons out and ready. " FREEZE!........Twitch a finger and I'll blow your head off! " Tom's voice called out as James & Kim moved in on both sides. Chin looked up at Tom and the cannon pointed at his head. He slowly let go of Evie's hair and raised his hands above his head. James & Kim grabbed Chin, spun him around and slammed him into his car. Tom knelt down to check on Evie while James put the cuffs on Chin. " Are you okay? " Tom asked his place an arm around Evie's shoulders.
 
Now it was Chin's turn to become more aggressive and Evie wa more than a little surprised at the change in his approach. Evie moved back deflecting what she could but taking some painful blows along the way. She could feel her strength beginning to drop but made another new push forward. Now it was Chin' turn to be literally on the back foot. But then Chin turned, bent, twisted. When Evie saw his leg coming and she knew she wasn't going to be quick enough to block it and she couldn't get out of the way. She literally saw stars for a moment and then blackness. When the blackness lifted only moments later, Evie was in her knees in front of Chin. He had hold of her head by her hair, twisting her head back. She couldn't seem to get her arms to work... Couldn't get anything to move. Even the fact that she was almost certainly going to die didn't make her body responsive. And then she heard Tom's voice. As Chin let her go, he dropped forward onto her hands and knees.

Once the cuffs were on James was watching Tom and Evie, waiting for some acknowledgment from her. Kim retrieved Evie's Glock. Evie felt Tom's arm around her shoulder and that seemed to give her strength. She pushed herself back up and onto her knees and then partially collapsed against him. Tom held her for a moment and then pulled her up to her feet.

"Ow Ow ow ow" she groaned as she found her feet.

"Can you walk?" Tom asked. Evie nodded. Her right arm wrapped around Tom's waist as she held on to him and he to her. Her right arm wrapped around her own ribs. "You couldn't have gotten her two minutes earlier?" She joked as she walked cautiously, a few feet behind James and Kim who were providing the escort for Chin. When they got back to their cars, the place was swarming with police. Chin was handed over to uniformed police to be taken to the station. Evie was escorted to an ambulance where one of the EMTs checked her out. A few cuts and bruises, particularly on her knuckles, some bruised ribs and a mild concussion was their diagnosis. She persuaded Tom and James that she didn't need to go to the emergency room on the basis that they would be heading to the hospital anyway to see Jack and Steve. As she stood up and stifled a groan, James put a hand on her shoulder.

"You got him!" Evie looked at him and smiled. "I didn't do it alone and if you guys hadn't come along when you did... Last night too....
 
During the search of the warehouse, the uniformed officers found 18 kilos of cocaine in three crates. Once the lids were removed, the crates were found to be sealed with a thick slab of wax. After this wax slab was removed the officers found the cocaine packed in coffee grounds. Just as Nate had said. Everything had fallen into place as expected. The shootout took the lives of Chin's bodyguards. In a stroke of good luck, Chin himself was captured after he fought with Evie. James, Kim & Evie went to the hospital with the news. Tom had stayed behind to oversee the crime scene. He wanted to make sure that the drugs were bagged & tagged. 18 kilos is alot and now that Tom was commanding both the MCU & Narcotics. He didn't want anyone making a mistake. Once the drugs were removed from the warehouse and sent to the station. Tom finally left for the hospital. The last units were leaving and heading back out on patrol. By the time Tom reached the hospital those on guard heard about Chin's arrest. The good news spread like a wild fire. The uniformed officers around the hospital knew that they'd be going home soon. Now that Chin was in custody. What remained of the Red Dragons would fall apart. Tom found Jack to be in great spirits. Steve also seemed to get more of his fight back after hearing the news. Tom refused to take any credit for himself or for the MCU. His official statement to the press was that the MCU just followed the path already laid down by Jack, Steve and their men. While most of the press told the people the truth of what happened in the warehouse fight. Others like Brent McBride focused on the body count. McBride pointed out that all of Chin's men were gunned down by Lieutenant Reed and his MCU Hit Squad. He even questioned if in fact all of Chin's men were armed and perhaps one or more could have tried to surrender. McBride even used photoshopped images of each member of the MCU dressed in the black SS Nazi Uniforms. Brent McBride never let the truth get in the way of a good story. He knew that there would be some people who believed his BS.

Days turned into a week and a week quickly changed into a month. Jack & Steve were out of the hospital, but not back at work yet. Jack was able to work at home. Steve needed more care and was getting from a private nursing staff. Rick Reed made sure that Jack & Steve had proper medical care after they left the hospital. This would include getting them back in shape to do their jobs. Still it would take some time. Nate was released from protective custody as was Lucy Lee. The city no longer felt the need for special protection with Chin locked up. The judge denied Chin bail in his case. Chin would have to sit behind bars until his trial was over. The trial was expected to be a media circus with Brent McBride being the ringmaster. It would take time before Chin would see the inside of a courtroom. All anyone could do now was wait.

Summer was coming on fast. The MCU which was now running the Narcotics Division until Jack & Steve got back to work. Were in the middle of some major drug stings. Most of the MCU had become well known by the criminals of the city. But thanks to the help of a close friend of both Evie & Kim. They found new lives with new faces. Tammy turned out to be a major help in getting the MCU into places they couldn't get before. Kim's acting ability also helped. Even though she did porn, Kim had great acting skills. This had become an inside joke between Evie & Kim. During the time the MCU was playing street leave pushers. A series of odd murders started to take place. The first was perhaps the most powerful pimp in Los Angeles. King Hayes was gunned down by what witnesses said was a police officer on a motorcycle. Evie would remember Hayes well from her time with the Snowman. The second odd murder was a black drug dealer who the MCU had been after. Alvin Tate aka "Big T" was gunned down on the street. Again witnesses reported a motorcycle officer at the shooting. So far two powerful criminals had been gunned down in full view of witnesses. Everyone said that the person doing the shooting was a cop. Brent McBride took to the air and pointed the finger straight at the LAPD. Chief Beck pulled the MCU off their undercover drug case and put them on these murders. Although the men who died were criminals. They shouldn't have been executed in the streets. This wasn't make the police image look good in public eyes. The MCU needed to gather and workout a plan for approaching this new case.
 
The EMT had cleaned up some of the blood from Evie's face, cleaned the cuts on her knuckles, taping a couple of them and had put a small piece of white sucher tape across a cut over her right eye. That she had been in a fight was obvious but truth be told it could have been - and almost was - so much worse. A lot had happened since she had walked out of Steve's room the night before and she was sure seeing him was going to be unpleasant. She comforted herself with the fact that she had almost lost him and given that or him shouting at her every day for the next 70 years she would most certainly take the latter. When they got to the hospital, they found Jack's room empty. There was a little confusion mixed with mild panic fr both James and Evie but they quickly found him, wheelchair bound in Steve's room. When they walked in both Steve and Jack stared at Evie for a moment, partly because of he evidence of the fight and partly because they didn't know whether she was still a cop.

"Jeez James. I didn't think you'd beat the crap out of her... Not saying she didn't deserve it."

"Hey! I am here you know. And no he didn't. In fact these days, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't be able to." Steve couldn't help but smile as he turned to look at James. "You know she's probably got a point bro. You should get Sam to give you...."

"No thanks. Th police training has been good enough for plenty of cops and two psychos in the family is more than enough." For the rest of the afternoon Kim, Evie and James filled both Steve and Jack in on every detail of the day until eventually it became obvious that they were oth struggling to stay awake. Kim took that as her opportunity to go home whist James ad Evie stayed longer, catching McBride's report on the TV in their dad's room when they took him back. Evie was surprised by some of the photographs he had of her. One when she was out running... Training for the MMU. Some at the MMU itself. Most of them had her partially clothed. He made a handful of comments about how she looked and about her promotions over the years.

"You know, one day, we have to be able to find something on that man" Evie said as she stared at the screen. "Good luck with that!" James said.

Over the following days and weeks McBride came and went, although he was never entirely gone. The MCU carried on with its job regardless. When the motorcycle killings started he reappeared smearing every cop in the City collectively. When she heard that the MCU was being put onto the case, Evie was sure that he would quickly focus on the four of them.
 
The MCU's undercover case was wrecked when someone dressed as a cop killed Alvin Tate. That was one theory. The other was that a real cop was taking these action to rid the city of crime. Both of these ideas were talked about during the MCU meeting. Each shooting was done by someone wearing the uniform of a motorcycle officer. The witnesses said that the cop who did the shooting was a man. Those who saw the shootings take place described the KZ1000P Kawasaki police motorcycle used by the LAPD to a T. Someone was either going to great lengths in order to impersonate a police officer, or a cop had snapped. Tom pointed out to his team that what the people saw looked like a cop. He added that there were cases of people dressing as cops. Some would stop woman and talk them into sex. Others used their fake uniforms as a way to get money. Tom asked his team to check on past cases where people dressed as cops. No matter how small the case was, each person needed checked. A list of names would be made then checked one by one.

Later that morning Tom sent Kim down to ballistics from the reports on the weapons used during the murders. Kim returned with some interesting news. The ballistics report said that two different weapons were used during the two murders. One was a glock .40 caliber S&W, the other was a Beretta .40 caliber S&W. Ballistics said that the ammo used was police issue. The report Kim read hung heavy over the rest of the team. So far everything was pointing to a real police officer going rogue, or two rogue cops. Silence had fallen over the MCU Squad Room. This silence was only broke when Tom's cell phone went off. It was a reminder of something that he forgot. With all the pressure running both the MCU & Narcotics, a promise had slipped Tom's mind. Tom looked at Evie sheepishly. " Hey Evie........I forgot that Sergeant McWilliams at the academy asked last week if you wouldn't mind going over this afternoon and taking on the cadets in combat? " Tom asked as he leaned over Evie's desk. He said how sorry he was for this slip up. Tom said that he'd make it up to her. Evie knew who Sergeant McWilliams was. Everyone knew Sergeant McWilliams. He was the weapons instructor at the academy. Sergeant McWilliams trained Tom, James, Steve and even Jack. McWilliams was tough as a two dollar steak. The cadets called Sergeant McWilliams "Sergeant McGruff." He would regularly make cadets breakdown their side arms at all hours of the day & night. Herbert McWilliams was the oldest of the instructors and by far the toughest. James looked over at Evie grinning. He suggested that she take some time to clean her weapon. " You know McGruff will inspect your weapon.......And if it doesn't meet his standards........You'll be running laps. " Kim tried to look busy. She remembered McWilliams all to well. Kim had to run 40 laps because her weapon wasn't latched into her holster properly. Tom again added that he'd make it up to Evie. James laughed and said that Tom would owe her big for this one.
 
Evie looked at Tom wide eyed. She took a deep breath as Kim related her experiences with McGruff. She looked at James as he laughed. Evie didn't laugh. McGruff has seemed to take a personal dislike to Evie. That was certainly how it had felt at the time. She was sure he felt that the only reason she had gotten into the Academy was because of her father and brothers. She had asked James at the time - with him being the third Taylor - but he had just laughed it off and said it was just how McGruff was. And after that she just took it. For a while it was almost nightly. Spot checks in the dormitory, getting them out of bed, stripping and reassembling weapons in the dark. Evie never had a problem with doing it but there was always something that he seemed to find fault with. And so she would find herself on the track running laps at 3.00am. There was no question that the man would have made a great instructor in the USMC.

She walked over to her drawer and pulled out the Glock, then removed it from the holster. Evie was pretty good when it came to keeping her weapon clean. Like most cops, it had become a weekly routine. A some point on every Sunday, sitting down, stripping it, cleaning it, oiling it, reassembling it. It had been a long time since she had done it at speed. She felt her stomach tighten a little. And a thought struck her.

"You know what, screw him. I'm not a cadet anymore. He can't do anything." James laughed out loud but said nothing. Evie's words sounded good, but he didn't rate her chances of maintaining that approach when she was faced with the man. She looked at Tom as she slipped the holster over her arm and slotted the gun into place. "Damn right you'll make it up to me!" She walked out of the room to the sound of the others laughing.

Thirty minutes later, she was parking at the Academy. She left her jacket in the car and walked the all too familiar route to the shooting range. She saw the group of cadets in their white t-shirts and blue pants and she saw McGruff pacing. she took a breath as she approached and without thinking found herself straightening up.
 
Sergeant McWilliams didn't really have anything against Evie. In fact he thought of her as one of his best. McWilliams always picked on those whom he held respect for. Sure he used her father & brothers against her. McWilliams knew that it would be used by others. He wanted to toughen her up before she really fell under the spotlight. McWilliams was the toughest on those whom he knew would make great cops. Right now one of McWilliams favorite targets was Alyssa Reed. She often felt like a major screw up and McWilliams treated her that way. He just wanted to make her tougher. Even now Alyssa was running laps while the other cadets were waiting for Evie on the shooting range. Since Evie was the shooting champion, McWilliams wanted the cadets to go head to head with the best. Tom use to do this during this time of year. It had fallen upon Evie now. Sergeant McWilliams paced back & fourth in front of the cadets as they waited for Evie to arrive. McWilliams was looking at his watch and grumbling. Finally Evie did appear and McWilliams let her have both barrels. " I'm so glad you could finally join us Detective Taylor........I do hope it wasn't a bother......You being such a superstar in all.........It must be hard giving up your latte coffee breaks to help these young people in their training. " McWilliams said with great sarcasm. Evie wasn't late, but McWilliams had to act like she was. It was part of his rough & tumble exterior. McWilliams was in his late sixties. but you wouldn't guess by the way he looked. His body was lean & hard. His hair showed some grey, but he could out run most cadets in the 100 yard dash. McWilliams turned to the cadets and told them how Evie won the championship by beating the former champion Tom Reed by one target. He told the cadets that they'd get to go head to head in combat against Evie. Looking on from the current group were Cadets Nick Ward, Jessica "Jessie" McCoy and Tim Perry. They were the current members of the Zebra Squad. This was a special name used by some of the top Cadets. Nick Ward was the number one cadet. It was his job to pick those he felt would make Zebra Squad better. Each years group tried to top the groups that went before. Nick wanted his group talked about for year to come. They would make an impact like no other group ever had. After completing 25 laps, Alyssa rejoined the group. Upon seeing Evie, Alyssa wanted to wave, but she knew McWilliams would make her do push ups until her arms dropped off. Before the combat challenge started, McWilliams turned to Evie and asked her to strip apart her weapon before combat started. Light laughing and groans could be heard from the cadets. How many times had this happened to them?
 
Evie stood there staring at the old man as he laid the sarcasm on thick. She looked across at the group who seemed to be somewhat amused at what McWilliams was handing out or perhaps it was just relief that for once someone else was getting it. For Evie part of her felt the gap between the present and five years in the past suddenly disappearing. The rest of her hung on to the fact that whilst she was still learning every day on the job, she wasn't the cop who left the Academy five years ago and whatever McGruff thought of her, she wasn't doing too bad and she wasn't doing it because of her Dad or Steve or James. A slight smirk appeared on her face as he suggested that she was giving up her coffee break. She shook her head.

"Not a coffee break Sergeant. A murder investigation. I don't mind coming back here to help out if I can; I am kind of surprised you asked to be honest. But what is it they say again? Those who can do... those who can't... teach!" As Alyssa arrived both McWilliams and Evie looked over to her then Evie's attention was brought back front and centre when McWilliams told her to strip her weapon. It was no surprise. She walked over the a long bench that the group of cadets were stood next to. She walked around one side of it as McWilliams came up on the opposite side. The cadets gathered around McWilliams. Evie reached into her holster and drew her Glock. She placed in down on the bench in front of her.

"I'm a little surprised Sergeant. I figured you'd want me to do this blindfold... in the dark... That's your usual test isn't it? You wouldn't be softening in your old age by any chance would you?" She watched as McWilliams pulled out his stop watch. Evie was sure it was the same damn watch. The two of them looked at each other for a moment and then McWilliams simply said 'Begin'. Evie kept her gaze completely on McWilliams, staring him down, not looking at the Glock at all.

Evie unclipped the magazine and cleared the weapon, making sure that there were no rounds in the gun. Next she pointed the pistol at the ground and pulled the trigger making sure it was released. With her right hand on the top of the pistol she pulled back on the top part of it moving it about a quarter of an inch. Still holding the top of the pistol back, she pushed down on the release levers with her thumb and index finger and slid the top of the pistol off. She removed the recoil spring and the barrel. As each bit was separated out, she laid it down on the bench. In total it took less than five seconds. When she was done she placed both hands, palm down on the bench, once either side of the disassembled parts.
 
The cadets oooed and awwwed at Evie's time. McWilliams acted as it Evie's time was no big deal, but he was impressed that she hadn't lost a step in the almost 8 years since she left the academy. He rode Evie hard during her days here and those days paid off. Evie had earned the right to take jabs at McWilliams and he let her. Cadets didn't dare speak to McWilliams in the way Evie was doing. Any cadet who dared would run laps until they dropped. " We don't have tea time here Taylor........Get that weapon back together and get ready for combat. " McWilliams said when Evie rested her hands on the bench. The group moved over the shooting range. The cadets had been shooting at targets over the last week. At the beginning many of the cadets were terrible at shooting. After a few weeks had passed, most were pretty good. While Evie was here to help test each member of the class. McWilliams wanted to see Evie going against the best shots in this group. None of the cadets had been through combat before now. They were facing the champion on a course none of them had seen before. Still it was only a makeshift city street with pop up targets. Combat wasn't just about hitting your targets. It was also about thinking on your feet and knowing when not to shoot. Not all the targets are bad guys.

Combat started and Evie showed why she was the shooting champion. The first four cadets were blown away by Evie's scores. Perhaps it was nerves, or maybe they just didn't have what it takes. But none of the first four hit a target. Evie didn't miss a shot and over the next hour she continued hitting what she aimed at. During the times cadets were shooting. Nick Ward came up and started talking with Evie. He made it clear from his first words that he idolized Tom Reed. Nick talked about Tom as if he was some kinda great warrior from legend and not just a cop. He said all the members of this class's Zebra Squad want to be members of the MCU someday. Nick made the MCU seem like modern day gun fighters being led by a modern day Wyatt Earp. " Someday we'll be joining you in the fight to tame this city and help to bring those who break the laws to real justice. "
 
"Yes Sir." Evie smirked a little as McWilliams turned away and she clipped the Glock back together, reversing the process she'd just followed to strip it. She picked up a clip and locked it in the base of the grip and then stepped out to take her first run. Truth was she probably had a bit of an advantage over the cadets... More than the experience on the streets. She remembered the things that Mcwillams liked to put in his combat courses. The traps that he set for green recruits. She had some sympathy with each of the cadets and on the walk back through the course, she took the time to talk to each one of them; a quiet conversation suggesting how they might change their stance or the way they moved when they had their gun drawn; how to breathe through their shots and how they could try and calm themselves. They needed to let the adrenalin work for them...make them sharp and alert and responsive but not panicked or rushed.

Evie was watching the fifth or sixth cadet steadily making his way through the course when she was aware of someone moving next to her. She looked at him briefly and smiled. He was a good looking man, maybe 20-22. Initially she was only partially listening as she tried to focus own the cadet shooting. Then she heard him mention Tom's name for maybe the fourth or fifth time in less than a minute. She looked back, a little puzzled.

"Tom Reed is... Is one of the best. You'll do well if you're half as good." The real justice comment made her a little concerned. What was that supposed to mean? She'd maybe ask McGruff about this guy afterwards but for now she needed to concentrate on those doing the shooting.
 
Nick figured that Evie being part of the MCU knew what he meant by real justice. She had been Tom's partner in robbery/homicide. Of course Evie knew what real justice meant. She would have dispensed real justice at that gallery opening if her brother hadn't gotten in the way. None of this was spoken to Evie. It did however run through Nick's mind. One by one each of the cadets took their turns against Evie. Alyssa, Tim Perry, Jessie McCoy and Nick were the last to go. Tim went next scoring well, but he missed two bad guys. Alyssa was the next to challenge Evie. Nick and the other members of Zebra Squad talked as Evie & Alyssa stepped up to the line. Alyssa was the daughter of Tom Reed and she seemed to be pretty close to Evie. The group wondered if perhaps a new member of Zebra Squad should be added? They needed to talk this over with their advisor Lieutenant Alan Briggs before an invite would be issued. Still Alyssa would be kept under a watchful eye. They needed to make sure that she herself was worthy of this honor. Evie's score was almost perfect. She had been shooting for almost two hours and only missed a total of three targets. Normally in a shooting competitions, no one would do the amount of shooting Evie was doing. But she was here in a teaching role and not just as the shooting champion. Alyssa went down the range and back up. She missed only one target where Evie was again perfect. Jessie was matched up against Evie. She was able to pull off a tie matching Evie with a perfect score. Finally Nick the top student took his turn. He showed his cocky side on the range. He flashed his Beretta 92F before loading a clip inside. Nick told Evie that when he becomes a detective, he'll be wearing the same Desert Eagle as Tom. He joked that .44 magnums were for pussies. McWilliams called Nick & Evie to the line. Nick went down first and made a perfect score. Evie then went down and again scored perfect tying with Nick. Sergeant McWilliams told the cadets that he wanted their weapons cleaned and ready for inspection in 30 minutes. He would tell them their grades later. While the cadets broke up in groups and headed off to clean their weapons. McWilliams was left grading the scores with Evie not far away.
 
Evie took each cadet down the course and then gave them advice and guidance when they walked back. It was a long afternoon and Evie was starting to feel it in her shoulders and upper arms, but they were almost through. When she took Alyssa down, she was impressed. The miss was unlucky. It was a tough shot with a "non-combatant" right next to the target. Most of the cadets had missed that one with about alf of them hitting the non-combatant. Two of Evie's three misses during the afternoon had been that shot. Evie thought Alyssa was going to make a good cop. She probably knew more about the streets than most cadets did and she had a desire and a drive to make them better. She would have an instinct for when there was a threat and she had common sense. Alyssa's biggest weakness was the academic side but she wasn't in any danger of failing. It was just probably going to mean that she wasn't going to be the best cadet at the end. Physically she was fit and she was getting stronger.

Jessica was good no question and Evie congratulated her on her score. But there was something about her. A coldness. Perhaps Evie was being unfair. She didn't know her. Perhaps she was just not good with strangers ... But for a cop who had to do years on the street. The perfect sore was impressive but Evie couldn't help thinking she didn't really care about collateral damage. And the absence of that worry gave her a confidence..,arrogance. Nick was arrogant but he had more personality than Jessica. He could flash that white smile and Evie could imagine him getting on well on the streets. But there was something that made her uncomfortable. As they walked back up she asked whether he'd ever fired a Desert Eagle. Evie had tried it once when she and Tom had gone down to the range one night. She hated it. The recoil on the barrel meant that her second and third shoots every time had been well wide of the mark. She'd take a rifle before the desert Eagle every time. The .44 was also something she didn't like. Nick said he hadn't but he was sure it was be perfect and at least one shot for each target would do the job very nicely.

Evie took the opportunity to ask McWilliams about nick Ward. But he didn't seem too concerned. Evie thought maybe she'd got it wrong. Maybe he was just showing off a little and trying to impress Evie. Maybe she thought Evie would tell Tom about him, particularly if he knew that Tom and Evie were in a relationship outside of work. When McWilliams was done he went back to the group and told them that he was going to show them how it should be done. He led the group who were all puzzled onto a neighbouring course - one that none of them had done.

"Taylor. If you please." He waved Evie back to the line. "Are you ready to do this at speed. Or do you want to stay with the cadets and benefit from the lesson?" Evie looked at him a little surprised. Looked down the empty course, then back to McGruff. "You want to run this one?"

"If we've tired you out..." Evie smiled and pulled a fresh clip from her back pocket. "When you're ready Sergant." Now it wasn't just about accuracy. Now it was about speed. Mcwillams went first and Evie couldn't deny she was impressed. He cleared it without missing a beat. And his time seemed quick. Evie took her place on the line and waited to be given the go. She hit everything she aimed at but in the end she was nearly three seconds outside McWilliams' time.

"Congratulations Sergeant." McWilliams barely cracked a smile. "Maybe you should do a few dozen laps before you leave." He said and then he turned away.
 
Sergeant McWilliams was just kidding Evie about the laps. He couldn't let anyone know this, but he was only joking. Evie's day at the academy was over. She'd be credited as a guest lecturer and her name would appear on the list for future instructors. Evie returned to the station where Tom, James and Kim spent the whole day tracking down the people on the list of fake police officers. Sadly no one on that list panned out. It was looking more & more that a cop, or perhaps two had gone rogue. It was easier to believe that it was one cop using two different guns. The MCU team would now have to start checking motorcycle cops, both on and off duty. Check the dispatch reports and find out who was nearest to the areas where Tate & Hayes were killed. They'd have to find out where those who were off duty were at. Tom disliked this part of the job. This was the type of thing internal affairs did. Tom knew what it was like to be in the crosshairs of IA. Tom never pictured the MCU used in the way, but what choice did he have? Someone was killing major crime figures and it needed to be stopped. What was going on now made everything that Brent McBride said about the police seem to be true.

Tom & Evie left the Central Station just after 5 pm. They were headed for an early dinner at one of Evie's favorite restaurants. This was only part of what Tom owned Evie. She'd get paid back, there was no doubt about that. Evie spent time during the day thinking of things Tom could do for her. This dinner was just a start. Later after the meal was over. Tom & Evie who hadn't drank any alcohol was about to order a couple of after dinner drinks. Before that could happen Tom's cell phone went off. It was dispatch telling Tom that another murder by a motorcycle cop was reported. Tom lowered his head covering his eyes with his hand. All he could say was "Damnit!" Tom hung up his phone then looked up at Evie. " We've got another body. " Tom paid the bill and left a tip. He & Evie exited quickly and went to her car. Dispatch hadn't given Tom any information on who was murdered. The call had just come in and they were told to notify MCU right away. On the way to the crime scene, Tom called James & Kim.
 
As the others started getting the list of motorcycle cops, Evie sat back in her chair and stared at the wall of screens, one of which showed their victims; pictures assembled in a list. Arms folded across her chest, she tapped her pen gently and repeatedly against her chin.

"Hey? Did McGruff tire you out so much that you're done for the day?" James tossed a screwed up piece of paper across from his desk which hit the side of her head. She squealed a little in surprise and then turned her head; realising what it was she threw a quick dirty look at her brother. Then she picked up the paper ball and threw it back harder. James dodged it and let it hit the wall behind him.

"I was thinking!"

"Thinking what?" Tom walked through from his office at that moment, initially disturbed by Evie's squeal and then seeing her throw the paper he decided he'd find out what was going on. He walked over and put his hand on Evie's shoulder. She looked up at him and smiled and then shrugged looking back at the screen.

"I don't know exactly. You know when you just get something in your head and your brain can't quite grab hold of it. We're missing something. I can't help thinking... "

"At the risk of repeating myself, thinking what?" Evie carried on ignoring the quip. "Magnum Force."

"What?" Kim asked looking at Evie as if she were talking in a foreign language.

"It's a film.. back in the 1970s."

"I remember that. Steve used to watch it practically every day on video when we were kids. Vigilante cops taking out bad guys." James stood up and walked towards the screen. "How does that help us though?"

'I don't know." Evie leaned back in her chair. And then she sat up again. "The motorbike."

"What?"

"We've checked out wanna-be cops. How many bikes are there out there that are made to look like police bikes. Will DMV have those records?"

"You check those, we'll keep checking cops." Evie nodded. "There's still something else and I just can't..."

"Let it go a while and maybe it will come to you. Maybe you're trying to hard." Kim said as she went back to the duty files. James went back to his seat; Tom back to his office and they all spent the rest of the day in front of computers.

When they left work, Tom drove Evie to Casa Nostra, an Italian place Evie loved down on 9th. They didn't talk about work; well they didn't talk about the case. Evie filled Tom in on what happened at the Academy, omitting any reference to Nick, told him about Alyssa and McGruff. They talked about maybe taking a weekend away. It wasn't exactly first-date-romantic but it was obvious from they way they sat, talked to each other, obvious for anyone who looked across at the table and saw them to see that the two of them loved each other. They were in the middle of a kiss across the table when Tom's phone went off. Both of them groaned; both of them knew that the odds were their night was over and the rest of Evie's pay back just disappeared. Tom sent the drinks back and looked apologetically at Evie. She smiled and shook her head and told him it wasn't his fault.

Tom drove out to a place in South LA; what used to be South Central before 2003. When Tom and Evie arrived at the scene in University Park, the crime scene techs pretty much had control of the place. An uniformed officer told them that a witness had seen what they described as a female police officer on a motor cycle. She pulled in at the road side but didn't get off of the bike. The victim had been walking along and she just opened fire. Drew her weapon. Three shots to the head.

"Who is he?" Evie asked nodding in the direction of the body.

"Sonny Vaughn"

"The loan shark?" The officer nodded. "Sure looks like number 3." Tom agreed. The two of them walked over the the body. There wasn't much left to identify him by how he looked. "It was an execution." Tom said not really to anyone in particular.
 
As Tom knelt near Vaughn's body what Evie said about Magnum Force run through his mind. So far three members of the criminal underworld were dead. Witnesses reported motorcycle cops doing the shooting. The first report described a white man standing 5'7, weighing 165 lbs. The second report said that it was a white man standing 6'2" and weighing 200 lbs. The third report was of a white woman. Standing 5'7 and weighing 135 lbs. Tom slowly looked around noticing two motorcycle officers nearby. There was only a handful of female motor unit officers on the force. This had to be people from inside the department. Tom waited until James & Kim arrived before he brought them together with Evie. " We're gonna have to put some extra hours in on this case. " Tom announced to his team. He was pretty sure that this news wouldn't be a surprise to them. " Starting tonight.....We need to pull the files on every motor officer who carries a badge or did carry one.......We need to question all the motor officers who were on duty and those who were off........We need to check the whereabouts of each female motor officer on and off duty.........We need to run check on their weapons and backup weapons. " Tom knew that he was asking alot from his people. There were 21 Divisions (Stations) in the city of Los Angeles including the Central. Each station normally has around 75 uniformed patrol officers on duty at all times. On any given day at least 6 of the officers from those 21 stations were motor patrol officers. That means that there would be 126 motorcycle officers on the streets of Los Angeles. Those were only the on duty officers. The numbers didn't include off duty or retired officers. The MCU team headed back to the Central Station. The four of them would search the LAPD records by computer. Their first task was to compile a list of names. From this master list the MCU would check each person and their weapons. Once an officer was checked, their name would be removed from the list. Any names left on the list would be top suspects. This list would not include cadets since they weren't badged officers of the LAPD yet.
 
Evie reached out and put her hand on Tom's upper arm.

"Wait a minute. I think our pool just got smaller, not bigger." She looked at the puzzled faces of her team. "If the witnesses are right... And I know that's a big if; we all know how unreliable eye witness evidence is... But bear with me. If the witnesses are right then we have 3 killers. But they have to be working together. There are too many similarities. We don't need to look for every officer for now. We only need to look for the women. Find this killer and she will lead us to the rest?
 
Tom agreed with Evie's suggestion, but he wanted that main list made anyway. Evie was right, the list of female motor cops would be short. Tom asked Evie & Kim to work on the list of female motorcycle officers. He & James would continue to work on the main list. If Evie & Kim found something, then the guys could stop. If the female list failed to turn up a suspect. The MCU would need the main list to fall back on. Tom & James cut the main list down by excluding all blacks, asians and hispanics. The two men & the woman seen by the witnesses were white. As long as no new killers showed up wearing LAPD uniforms, the MCU had cut their list by more than half the names. A main list of over 200 names was now down to just under a hundred.
 
It was a little after midnight by the time the lists were drawn up. Once Evie had Kim had pulled the names for 6 female motorcycle cops still on duty and the 8 who had retired, they started to help the guys. Personnel wouldn't be open till the morning so Tom told them to go home. They had their lists and would start the search and correlations tomorrow.

Tom and Evie walked down the stairs together. Tom suggested that they leave Evie's car and he'd drive them both back to the boat and then back in in the morning.

"Actually, I was going to go and see big brother first thing. How about I follow you back and then in the morning we both have transport?" They'd come to a stop just at the rear of the Mustang. Tom nodded, said it sounded like a plan. He leaned down and kissed her, pulling her to him for a moment. She kissed him back moaning softly as she did, her tongue brushing against his lower lip. Evie pulled back from the kiss.

"I'll see you back at the boat. Don't lose that thought Lieutenant."

The two of them separated and went to their own cars. Tom pulled out of the garage first with Evie just behind. The roads were quiet and Tom made it back in 20 minutes. Evie was five minutes behind, having got caught by a couple of light changes. Tom was sat on the couch, watching the TV news when Evie walked down the stairs. He'd poured two glasses of scotch and hers was waiting for her. She slipped of her jacket and holster and put the weapon in a drawer in Tom's desk. She walked over to the couch, picked up her drink and sat down next to Tom inside the curve of his arm as it wrapped around her. She sipped her drink watching the news report of tonight's shooting.

"Do you really think this is serving cops?"
 
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