Internal Affairs

1: The Vanishing and Capture

Thursday, September twenty-sixth

The sound of constant beeping, conversations, clicks of the keyboard, and the smell of coffee hit Aaliyah hard. She sat at a round, isolated table in the corner of the office filling out a call report from the robbery on Fifth and Main two days ago. Blake didn't come in today, which was a plus for her.

She wasn't in the mood for speaking with him after they were forced to make the worse decision. The man took a young girl hostage when he realized police had arrived, and even then the criminal wasn't bothered by it. She had been a little child-- about around the age of eleven or twelve. Just thinking about the other day just tore a hole through Aaliyah's chest.

"Smith."

The woman looked up at the balding white man with a large face and sagging cheeks. He had a few specks of freckles and moles here and there decorating his face, with a light grey mustache on his upper lip. "Chief, with all due respect, now isn't the time." Aaliyah stated, while continuing her report.

"You need a debriefing, Smith."

"For what?" She retorted. The man pressed his lips into a thin line, watching the woman ran her hands through her hair. It's been two days since the incident, and Aaliyah just couldn't get herself together for nothing. She took yesterday off, but today she had to face the music to get over this. "Chief, that girl was shot point-blank even after we did what the man wanted! She didn't have to die!"

The older man sighed as he rubbed his temples at that statement. "I know, Aaliyah. And that was unfortunate but it's also apart of this job. Not everyone can be saved--"

"So we just let them die?!..." The entire police station went silent. "...It's our job to protect these people!--"

"But who will protect you, Smith?" Aaliyah gawked at the man, before registering the fact that everyone else in the office was now staring at the two of them. Aaliyah was the only one in the office that had the audacity to bite back at a statement the chief made. She took this job very seriously, which was good sometimes but also a hindrance as well.

"Just get that report in, and go to the debriefing, Smith. That's an order." He clasped his hands against the sway of his back, and silently walked away. Aaliyah rose from the table grumbling swears repeatedly under her breath, while the other officers kept their distance of a few feet. She was more than pissed- no she was livid.

With her infamous scowl, Smith walked through the large station to the women's bathroom. Jamming her left hand into the uniforms' tight navy blue pants, officer Smith threw the restroom door open with her right, and the first thing that came to her mind had been to hit the wall. So she did.

"Dammit!" Aaliyah exclaimed, slamming back against one of the stalls in Headquarters restroom, while trying to catch her breath. To be frankly honest, she didn't give a damn what people would think, it's just hard to see innocent people die. Letting gravity guide her, she slid down the stall wall and buried her face into her arms.

She didn't want to speak with anyone about her last call, the only thing the woman wanted to do was find the son of a bitch that killed that innocent child. Blake wasn't going to be much help, so it was honestly up to her.

Pulling her knees into her chest, Aaliyah stared at the grey tile floor. Running a few fingers through her bangs as she tried to soothe her clouded mind for a while. Being a police officer was more stressful than people thought, and it wasn't fair that everyone was judgmental of them. The restroom door opened before Tasha, another female cop, poked her head in.

"Aaliyah, maybe you should-"

"-Maybe I should shove my foot up your ass." She said back.

Tasha raised her hand in a surrendering motion, "Gee! What's the matter with you?"