Emma walked into a room with padded walls, a 'mirror' she bet was a window, and a table with coffee and other things on it. In the middle of the room was a round table with four chairs. She sat down across from a small women who opened a binder that had papers in it. She took out a pen and looked at Emma.
"Hi, Detective Emma Rossi. This is just an assessment for managing and to see if there are going to be any future problems. Everyone in your unit had to do this."
"I've been to therapy a lot, I'm an open book lay it on me." Emma sighed picking up her coffee cup that she had filled with some green tea to calm her nerves. "What if I don't answer correctly?"
"You can't answer wrong, any answer just helps us get to know you better." Emma nodded.
"So, how do you like your coffee?"
"I don't really drink coffee, it's way too bitter. When I do, very rarely, I add so much creamer and milk to drown out the coffee taste. Is that what you meant, or did you mean how do I like what I'm drinking right now?" Emma asked.
"Your answer says it all." The women responded writing everything down.
"What does that mean?" Emma mumbled to herself quietly.
"Have you ever used a racial slur?" Emma almost choked on her tea, she regained her composer.
"No, I have not. Ever. I would not EVER use one, for that matter. Also, that was one hell of a Segway."
"Have you ever heard a family member use a racial slur?"
"No, not that I can recall." She turned her notes over, still writing.
"Would you say you have a good relationship with your parents?"
"No." Emma laughed sadly but also found the question kinda ironic.
"Why not?"
"Because my mother murdered my father for life insurance, so I had to then move in with my grandpa and Hank, split time between the two, stay out of the mob, then protect my little brother because my other brother went into the mob. My mom is now on her death bed, I still have a TON of issues, I don't know what happened to my brothers, or my sister for that matter that haven't spoken to me in three years. And yeah, that's the short version."
"Do you consider the police force your family?"
"Only certain police."
"Not the whole force?"
"No."
"Have you ever felt what you would categorize as anger issues?"
"Maybe, yeah."
"And trauma?"
"Ahah! Ohh yeah."
"Have you experienced post dramatic stress?"
"Maybe, I'm not sure." Emma thought back. "Not as bad as my husband."
"Have you ever made a mistake on the job?"
"I don't know, you'll have to be more specific. That's a pretty loaded question."
"Have you ever killed someone?"
"No."
"I know you mentioned your husband, you two work together correct?"
"Yes we do."
"Has that ever affected your judgment on anything work related?"
"No, it has not."
"You are your sergeant are close, has that ever affected your judgment?"
"No."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I mean, what the hell was the point of that?!" Adam exclaimed as he and Kevin walked into the garage. "They should check my police records if they wanna see if I'm a good or bad cop! I mean come on, am I right!?" Emma laughed and handed off a clipboard to an officer before join the two guys. They started to walked upstairs to the unit.
"Nah, Nah. They don't wanna know who you are now, they wanna know who you gonna be then." Kevin said.
"One hour with them and now you're a psychic too!? Jeez, if I had wanted to be psychoanalyzed I woulda became a psychologist."
"Maybe I got the feature in me. But if asking us questions is gonna help us find prejudice, prevent problems, and help policing, I'd sit for them all damn day." Kevin said.
"I get the intention, I do. But it just seems a little overzealous to me." Adam said rubbing his eyes. "You don't punish the many to get to the few. Grill good cops, looking for cracks that aren't there." Adam said as they got upstairs.
"I just wanna find Jay, give him a hug, and I wanna know, what the hell does my coffee order have to do with anything?" Emma sighed.
"Hey! Guys!" Jay yelled from a back room, the three of them turned around. Jay, Rocky, and Kim where in the backroom huddled around a computer. Rocky was sitting at the desk.
"We got a case?" Emma asked walking into the room with Adam and Kevin, Jay rubbed his temples. Emma walked over to him and shoved his shoulder with her palm, trying to get him to give her cuddles and attention.
"Officer involved shooting." Kim sighed, Emma stopped shoving Jay and turned towards the screen.
"What?" Adam exclaimed. "No!"
"What happened?" Kevin asked.
"Buddy of mind in patrol sent over this video, a civilian caught it on his cellphone." Rocky played the video, Wheelan had pulled over an African American man and the officer, Wheelan, was arguing with the guy over the fact that he wouldn't turn around. Wheelan shot the man a bunch of times after he the ranted the man a few times. Everyone in the room looked shocked.
"Kid die?" Kevin asked.
"On the pavement." Jay sighed, Kevin shook his head and Adam walked out of the room. Kevin followed him, the unit dispersing. Rocky stood up and nodded at Emma who gave him a small smile.
"Hey." Jay said quietly grabbing her wrist before she could leave. "How'd... whatever they wanna call it go?" Emma shook her head, she could feel some tears burning their way through her eyes.
"I don't wanna talk about it, and I think we need to focus on this." Emma pointed at the screen. "For right now, we can talk when we get home." Jay wrapped her in a tight hug and kissed the top of her head.
~~~~~~~
"The video is not yet viral." Captain Miller explained to the unit. "but we will be putting every officer on immediate 12's. We are expecting mass protests and violence, so we must move fast. Officer Atwater and Officer Ruzek, I would like for you to go to officer Wheelan's house and arrest him for murder." Adam looked at Hank, very, very confused. Kevin looked angry, but was very stoic at the same time. The rest of the unit, just looked confused, but not as confused as Adam looked.
~~~~~~~
"HEY! HEY! WE GOT A PROBLEM!" Rocky shouted sprinting up the stairs a little while later, Kevin and Adam where out making the arrest. "There's a video out, now, online! One we didn't know about." Rocky shouted, Voight, who had come out of his office, looked at Emma.
"Call Adam, now!" She nodded and got out her phone as she headed into the back room with Rocky.
"Hey, Adam."
"Hey Emma, we just made the arrest."
"Yeah, well we got a problem. There's a video surfacing online, one that we didn't know about. I'm about to see it right now. Rocky go." Emma said handing him the phone and taking the laptop from him as they got into the back office. Emma plugged in his laptop and started typing as Rocky talked.
"Hi! Okay, so Jeff Duncan had this app on his phone that recorded the whole thing and sent it to everyone on his emergency contacts list."
"How many people have seen it?" Kevin asked.
"It just went viral about twenty three minuets ago. We've already got protests at City Hall, Headquarters, all the jails and detentions. Death threats are already being made against Wheeler." Rocky said as Emma continued to work on the video.
"Okay, what are you guys saying here?" Adam asked.
"We're saying you can't bring him in yet, not until we sort this out." Emma sighed. "Sorry."
"What do we do then?" Adam asked.
"There's a safe house, ten minuets from you. I found it on the database and I'm sending everything to you guys right now. Just stay there and lay low. We are working as quick as we can." Rocky said. "
"Alright, you guys be safe." Adam said before hanging up.
"This is-" Rocky sighed, he couldn't even find the words. Emma nodded.
"Madness."
"I gotta get back down to my office, I'm surveying every single website, TV Network, anything like that I could think of. I'll call if something more comes up."
"Sounds good." Emma said as they split up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Adam, Kevin, and Officer Wheelan go to the safe house. The location of it is leaked and the house is shot up.
They escape, barley, and speed away. They go to an abandoned factory to hide out and stay safe.
~~~~~~~~~
"Hey Sarge! We got a problem!" Jay shouted sprinting up the stairs. "Our guys got ambushed."
"What!" Kim exclaimed, Voight rushed out of his office and over to the middle of the bullpen where Jay was holding up his phone.
"I'm here! Are you guys okay, I heard the whole thing over the radio." Jay said.
"Yeah, someone hit the safehouse." Adam said.
"What the hell does he mean hit?" Kim asked.
"Are you alright?" Jay asked.
"We're fine. We hit one of the shooters, maybe two. Both where masked. Place was clearly compromised. They where there to kill Wheelan."
"Adam, are you still at the safe house?" Voight asked.
"No! We're driving! Patrol had said they where a minuet out but driving feels safer now."
"Okay! we're all heading to the safe house right now. Rocky will send you an off-road location. Hang there until we can get you an escort. Only use your DC's to communicate."
"Copy that."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Copy that." Emma heard Voight say into his radio as he walked over to her and Jay, they where examining the body. "What have we got."
"Looks like Atwater caught him, center mass." Jay said.
"We got a name?"
"No, not yet. They just printed him, but I'm thinking that we are for sure going to get a pop on this guy. Prison tats. Also, let me show you this." Jay said leading Emma and Voight across the crime scene.
"Near the body, we've got .32 caliber shell casings." He than lead them up the drive way and onto the side walk in front of the house. "We've got .9 mill casings over here." He lead them to the side of the house. "We've got blood going down the gang way, so our second shooter he's in the wind, but injured."
"So they had street sweepers." Voight said.
"Oh yeah, they where coordinated but they didn't care about cross fire. This is a do or die crew." Jay said.
"We're probably not looking at teenage foot soldiers." Voight said.
"No." Jay said.
"When did Miller get here?" Voight asked.
"Before us, I sent Emma to search inside and Miller was already there." Jay said, Emma nodded.
"It's true."
"Huh, alright well Emma you talk to Rocky. Jay, talk to crime scene tech." Voight instructed them.
~~~~~~~~
"Listen, Ruzek and Atwater can't move until we determine that leak wasn't inside and we got the second shooter in custody." Voight explained to the unit as they followed him into his office. "So who the hell is going after Officer Dave Wheelan?"
"Jenny from tech just sent over the fingerprint card on the dead shooter." Kim said opening a file. "Ray Macks, 25. Gangs has him hooked up with the rolling reapers. His boss, T-J Jones also happens to be the half-brother of Jeff Duncan. T-J runs a crew of hired guns, they think of themselves as the 'police of gangland."
"So T-J's half brother get's killed by a police officer, so he sends two guys to kill that police officer. Keep order on the street." Jay said.
"We got anything on T-J?" Emma asked.
"No. No open warrants, no longer on probation, I seriously doubt he's carrying. I mean, Gangs has been on it for a while but they have nothing to arrest him on." Kim said.
"Yeah, well he know's our second shooter so we're going to make him talk to us. Jay, you and me." Voight said grabbing his coat. "Grab that file."
"Any word on Kevin and Adam?" Kim asked.
"They went off book, I gave them a secure location." Rocky said, Voight nodded.
"That's all you can say on that matter, if anyone else asks." Voight said to Rocky.
"Copy that." Emma smiled at Jay as he and Voight walked out. The three left walked out of Voight's office and into the bullpen. Emma sat at her desk, Rocky sat on her desk, and Kim sat at her desk. An anxious silence settled over the room.
"This is insane." Emma sighed.
"This is...yeah." Rocky agreed.
"What do I tell my kids tonight?" Kim asked, she was staring off into space. She turned back to face Rocky and Emma, her voice trembled. "What do I say if Adam can't come home, if he doe-"
"Don't even." Emma cut her off. "You, You... You just can't think like that." Kim rolled her eyes. "I know it's crappy advice I do, but when I went through this with Jay, I kept asking myself that question. You can't ask it Kim, because there's no answer to that question, no right one anyway."
"But what do I say?" She asked simply.
"You say the truth. You tell them the truth, whatever parts of it you feel comfortable. You tell them that Adam was protecting someone, someone who shouldn't be being 'protected' and that things happened?" Emma cringed and shook her head. "No that's not, Ah- Kim. I'm sorry." Rocky patted Emma's shoulder.
"You tell them the first part yes," Rocky said, Kim and Emma looked at him. "And then you tell them that he was just collateral damage. Because that's what this is. Two very good people, two amazing cops, two amazing men, who are now collateral damage because one asshole couldn't just do the bare minimum and not be a racist." Rocky said, Emma nodded and Kim did a small nod.
"Thank you." She said.
"Anytime. That's what we're here for." Emma said to Kim, Rocky smiled at Kim in agreement.
~~~~~~~~
Voight and Jay bring T-J back to the station, he's not under arrest. They put him in the backroom where Emma and Voight now tried to talk to him.
~~~~~~~~
"You know this man?" Emma asked T-J sliding a picture of Ray in-front of him on the table.
"Nope." T-J said.
"Well, Ray and a second man, tried to kill two cops and a prisoner. Ray is dead now, and the second guy got away." Emma said. "We need to find them, so I'll ask again. Do you know who that is?"
"No."
"He doesn't work for you?" Emma asked. "You didn't order him and Ray to kill Wheelan?" T-J laughed.
"No."
"Where were you two hours ago?" Emma asked.
"Live on the gram with my girl, but you know that already. I gave you my phone, like you asked." T-J said, Emma went and stood behind Voight.
"I imagine that call with your lady friend must have been rough." Voight said. "I mean, losing your half brother like that, another black man gone, shot by a cop. I get it, I do. But T-J, that cop was being brought in, on murder charges, you understand? Murder. CPD is doing this one right."
"One thing I would appreciate is if you wouldn't call Jeff my half brother." T-J said. "He was my brother, he was my blood."
"You guys where close, I get it. But shooting at cops T-J, not the right move. To get justice, even us cops have to trust the system. It's what we got."
"It's what you've got!" T-J said. "It's your system."
"Our system doesn't protect your neighborhood." Voight said. "So you do, right?"
"I didn't say that." T-J stated sitting up. "But, trust the system!? Are you willing to bet half a billion on that instead of paying police misconduct bills. I think if you both looked at yourself, we'd know the same thing. Ya'll ain't in my neighbored, camped out to 'protect' us. Ya'll only there to make sure we don't leak out to the rest of the city. But I shot no one. I've never shot anyone. I don't even own a gun." T-J said. "You've got nothing on me, so I'd like to go now."
~~~~~~~~~~~
"His alibi is rock solid." Jay said to the unit, as they walked back to the bullpen. "He's not our second shooter."
"Alright, his lawyer show yet?"
"Yeah, already threating to sue. Say's we brought T-J in 'unlawfully." Jay said. "He wants T-J released right away."
"What about T-J's phone?" Voight asked.
"We're good there. We're downloading everything from it, but it's mostly burner phone contacts, the guy's really smart, Rocky is on it though." Kim said.
"Okay, Okay." Voight sighed. "We'll release him, put a tracker on his car, and put a TAC team on it too. We're going to take everything we've got and put it up against everything in T-J's phone. Believe me, he knows our second shooter, it's just buried somewhere in there."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Voight walked into the backroom where his unit was working. "Listen up," They all looked at him. "Miller's office just confirmed the leak was not from inside CPD. So where are we at with that second shooter?"
"We're close." Emma said. "Rocky pulled all the numbers from T-J's phone. Only 11 of those numbers where also on the dead shooters phone. Five of those phones, including the dead shooters, where purchased and activated together three months ago. We're guessing T-J got to them first."
"I got it!" Kim said from the desk across from where Emma was. "Only one number pinged every tower on alongside the dead shooters phone. This has got to be our guy."
"Find out where that phone is, now!" Voight said.
"I just got off the phone with OCD tech! They finally got something on POD footage!" Jay said, everyone gathered around him as he pulled it up on a computer. "A silver SUV was caught on eight cameras. It was parked a block away from Dave Wheelan's house, it was caught at two stoplights behind Atwater and Ruzek. Then it was across the street from the safe-house."
"It was a physical follow." Voight said.
"Car is registered to an Antoinette Clarke, 22. She lives in Englewood." Jay said.
"Halstead, gimme that address." Kim responded logging onto another computer.
"It's 63rd and Marquette." Jay told her.
"That's where our second shooters phone is sitting right now." Kim said.
"Get that guy in custody now!" Voight shouted.
"Let's go!" Jay said grabbing his coat.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The unit walked slowly, guns drawn, a team of patrol officers behind them. Jay and Emma stood on either side of the door, Kim stood behind Jay as Emma rapped her knuckle against the door.
"Antoinette Clarke! Chicago PD!" The door opened halfway, Antoinette stuck her head out, her upper forehead had a long cut across it.
"No one called the police, you can't come in anyway you don't have a warrant."
"We know he's hurt, and he's in there." Emma said to her.
"No one is hurt, we are fine." She forced.
"He's still bleeding right?" Jay asked Antoinette. "He was shot hours ago, if he's still bleeding it means he's dying." Antoinette sighed and opened the door letting them all in.
"Emma go to the couch, Kim search her, I'll clear the apartment." Jay instructed as the unit and the patrol team moved in. Emma headed over to the couch where a man was in bad shape. Blood all over him, and the couch, his shirt torn open, his breathing shallow.
"GUN!" Jay yelled kicking the gun that was laying on the floor away from the couch, Emma crouched down next to the man and put her hands on his wound, pushing down hard.
"5021 Gorge to main, roll and ambo to 6850 Marquette, GSW victim." Jay said into his radio.
"Copy that 5021."
~~~~~~~~~~~
Adam and Kevin show Wheelan the video footage showing the man he shot never move. He insists the guy move and Kevin alter the video. Adam and Kevin say that's not the case, and Wheelan's reality sets in for him.
Jay radios to say that the unit has the second shooter so they can move.
~~~~~~~
"We just need you too corporate." Kim said to Antoinette. Kim and Emma stood outside her apartment, and had Antoinette leaning against the wall.
"I don't wanna answer your questions." Voight came rushing down the hallway as Kim pulled Antoinette away, Emma followed Voight into the apartment.
"Alright, talk to me." He said.
"It's a scorpion." Jay said putting the gun in an evidence bag, Deputy Miller was also in the apartment looking at the phone.
"Ten to one it's a hit." Voight said.
"Some little boy, Rudy or Roady, gave me the shooters phone." Miller said.
"Rocky?" Emma said quietly holding back a smirk and a scoff.
"Hank." Miller said ignoring her. "There's a tracking signal on this phone."
"Active?" Voight asked, Emma was already dialing Rocky's number.
"Yes, and it's tracking a moving signal, and it's being shared with someone else. There's an outgoing message, 'Can't go, bleedings worse. You take Wheelan."
"It's a third shooter." Jay said, hand already on his radio.
"Kevin, Ruzek, Listen to me close! You've got an active shooter following you right now. Hold tight, we're on our way."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wheelan gives himself up to the shooter because he's consumed with the guilt over what he's done.
~~~~~~~~
Kevin, Adam, Voight, and Emma sat inside a dive bar, they where talking, the guys where drinking. Her phone dinged and she flipped it over on the table before rolling her eyes. "Psych results are in." She sighed, Adam and Kevin got out their phones.
"I'll go first." Adam cleared his throat. "Officer Ruzek has an uncompromising loyalty to the police force, this could be problematic." Adam scoffed.
"How about this," Kevin sighed. "Officer Atwater has a lack of trust for his fellow officer. This could be problematic."
"Appropriate Loyalty, appropriate level of empathy, and appropriately tempered to protect and serve." Voight said, Emma almost choked on air.
"They made you take the test?" Adam asked.
"Those where Dave Wheelan's results, from last week." Voight said. "People are a thousand things, but when you throw them in this job, this system, one moment, in the blink of an eye, what comes out... comes out." Voight said, he put some money down before looking at Emma expectantly.
"Oh? Me now?" She said pointing at herself, they all nodded as Emma took a deep breath. "Officer Rossi does her job with every inch of compassion, but this may lead her down a dark and stubborn route. She has the outermost respect for the chain of command, but at what cost. Her underlaying issues will need to be continually delt with outside of the job." There was a long silence.
"Well." Adam sighed. "I'm going to get home to the kids." Emma nodded.
"Same here." Voight and Kevin also got up.
"I have somewhere to be, but I'll see you all tomorrow." Voight said before leaving, there three of them watched him go.
"Has he been seeming chipper to all of you, or is it just me?" Adam asked.
"No, He's for sure been happier. He hasn't yelled at Rocky in three weeks and eight days." Kevin and Adam looked at her confused. "We have a count going, we wanna see how long it'll last."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So what did yours say?" Emma asked Jay, they where laying in bed together, watching some TV. Jay had just put Masie down, Nic, who read himself to sleep, had gone to bed a while ago. Jay sighed and got his phone from the bedside table next to him.
"Detective Halstead has an uncompromising loyalty to the rules of the police force, but he may suffer from PTSD. He could become too involved in a case, or become distracted with the wrong motivation." Emma raised an eyebrow and crossed her arm.
"Distracted with the wrong motivation?' What the hell does that mean?" Jay scoffed and shrugged.
"Your the psych major! You tell me!" Emma giggled as she rested her head on Jay's shoulder.
"I love you." She said looking up at him, he turned his head and kissed her forehead.
"I love you too."
"I know." She smiled, then they heard:
Pitter Patter
Pitter Patter
Before a little boy appeared in their doorframe.
"Can I watch some TV?" Nic asked, Emma nodded as Nic climbed into bed with them, He sat in-between them. "What are we watching?"
"Everybody loves Raymond." Emma said.
"Very nice choice, good pick mom." After a few minuets of laughter and smiles Nic spoke again. "Can I ask you guys a question?" Emma nodded.
"Of course, you can ask us anything." Jay said turning off the TV, Nic took a deep breath.
"Are we related to Aunt Kim and Uncle Adam?" Nic asked, dead serious. Emma held back her laughter, and Jay looked confused.
"Huh?" They both asked in unison.
"Well, Uncle Will is Jay's brother. So how is Uncle Adam, I don't know, an Uncle?"
"Ohh!" Jay said, Emma snapped.
"You just call him that because he's a close family friend. Like Grandpa Voight, he's not your blood grandpa, but in a way he's still your grandpa." Emma explained.
"So, Lilia and I are not related?" Nic asked.
"No." jay said.
"Good, because she and I are going out for ice cream this weekend and that woulda made the date super awkward." Jay snickered and Emma smirked.
"I bet, but this isn't Downton Abby honey. You don't have to marry your cousins anymore." Emma said sarcasticlly, Nic rolled his eyes.
"I'm going back to bed, sleep well." He got up and walked away.
"Alright! Bye!" Emma called after him, she and Jay smiled as he left.
"I love our life." Emma sighed getting comfortable, Jay turned off his lamp.
"Me too." He whispered in the darkness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~