CHAPTER 37: Home Turf

 

"Come on, Action, your shift is about to start....why are you always up here working out when there's fresh donuts in the squad room?" Officer Prisha Datta said to John Action as he gave the punch bag another mighty blow.

"Working out keeps me sharp. Eating well keeps me in shape" replied Action, once again landing a heavy blow on the bag.

"Anyway, you've got about 10 minutes before you have to be out there on the streets. You won't have time to get changed...or hit the showers, phew!" she said, making a wafting sign with her hand as she caught a whiff of Action's sweat.

"Listen, Prish...I'm so fast I can punch this bag, get showered and into my uniform faster than you could eat that donut over there" he replied and giving the punch bag one last massive hit, he grabbed his towel and headed for the showers.

His shift began with taking a suspect's fingerprints, however this cat was giving Action some sass.

"Hey! Watch the hands!" he said "These are the hands of an artist!"

"A con artist more like" said Action, non plussed.

"I'm sure it's against your regulations to be this flip with an innocent victim of your so-called justice" said the suspect, complaining more.

"Innocent victim?" said Action, slamming the guy's hand down on to the ink pad to get his prints. "Tell that to the judge, who you'll be seeing real soon"

Action finished taking the prints and handed the folder with them to Datta. "I'm going to hit the streets now, Datta. Don't eat all the donuts while I'm gone"

He had personally requested his patrol route took in his home suburb as he'd noticed some strange comings and goings there of late. Jeremy and Suzy had informed him about Geoffrey Landgraab and Gillian Hills, Malcolm Landgraab's on-off girlfriend. Plus there were the altercations between the Landgraabs and Mortimer Goth that needed to be kept an eye on. With the all the comings and goings in the area Action had a gut feeling that his shift wouldn't be quiet today.

It did, however, begin peacefully. As he walked up and down the street he noticed Travis Scott leave his house and walk over to him.

"What's up, Travis?" said Action

"Good to see you around, Action. I haven't seen you around recently. Are you still seeing Liberty?"

"It's a casual thing, Travis. I ain't looking to go steady or anything like that" Action replied.

Travis looked a little put out by this comment, mainly because he hadn't done much about his own love life. "Anyway, Action" he said, changing the subject "I noticed this couple down the road there, near the garden, they seem to be having an argument."

"So noted" said Action. "I'd better check out that scene. Catch you later, Travis"

Action made his way cautiously towards the arguing couple. All of a sudden, they stopped shouting and everything went quiet. Action stopped by a large tree so he could watch events from a more discrete distance. The couple started talking again but this time in a quieter tone. Neither of them looked happy but at least they weren't causing a disturbance. Action decided to back off for now and await for any future disturbances. But what he didn't spot was that someone else was stalking him.

Action walked back to the corner of the street but it was then the mysterious stalker suddenly rushed him and gave him a karate chop on the back of the neck. Action didn't have time to reach for his .38 service revolver as he dropped to his knees. "Take that, pig!" said the attacker. Action flicked out his left arm and chopped the back of the attacker's knee which caused the man to buckle and lose his balance. Seizing his chance, Action leapt to his feet and gave a roundhouse blow to the guy's jaw, but he was tough and fast and rolled with the punch to lessen the blow. As he recovered he gave Action a 1-2 and almost put him to the ground again.

But all the training Action had put in recently came to the fore. Action stood up and uppercut the guy in the jaw, using the momentum of his rise to give his punch more power. The guy recoiled and fell back into the lamp post. Action was quick to whip out his regulation handcuffs and in seconds he'd locked his attacker to the post.

"You need to cool off, pal!" said Action. "Now why would you go do something stupid like try to beat up a cop?"

"A....warning...." gasped the attacker, who was still stunned from the beating Action had given him. "You've....made....enemies....Action!" he continued before collapsing through exhaustion.

Action got on the radio to call in a car to take this thug away. "Well, you'll have plenty of time to name my enemies in the cooler" he said. "You stay there like a good little doggie while I go deal with the rest of the trash"

The voices between the arguing couple grew louder and was attracting the notice of the locals. Action sauntered over to them.

"I hate you!" yelled the girl.

"Hey, silly cow...you and me, it's not serious." replied the man, matter of factly.

"You slept with HER! How could you?"

"I can't be pinned down, girl, you know that."

"But my best friend as well!"

"I get around, baby, you know that. Now calm down, get your knickers back on or I'm going to have to give you a slap to keep you in line"

"You ain't slapping her or anyone else today" came Action's booming voice. The man faltered in his tracks.

"Hello officer, this is between me and the girl" said the man, not bothered by Action's presence.

"You are causing a disturbance and have just threatened to strike this lady. I'm warning you, pal, you get out of here right now or you'll be joining that guy over there" said Action, nodding to where his assailant was cuffed.

"Alright, chum, keep your hair on." replied the man, leaving the scene.

"You alright, Miss?" said Action to the woman.

"Grrrr! That man! I detest him!" She replied.

"Hey, I know you...." said Action "We met when I first moved into town. Down at the...uhm....the Blue Something or other"

"The Blue Velvet" she replied. "I remember. I didn't know you were a cop...you're pretty handy to have around. I'm Jade"

"Of course" replied Action, smiling.

"Anyway, Jade, you can do better than him in your life. Look, my ride is here and I've got to get that perp back to the blockhouse. Stay cool, baby" he said, tipping his hat at her.

Action and his back up uncuffed the assailant from the lamp post, shoved him in the back of the black and white and hauled him back to 13th Precinct HQ. However, there was no rest for Action. Datta was on the front desk and she was talking to two civilians. One, a dorky looking young man and the second an elegant blonde lady.

"Ah, Action, no rest for the wicked today...we have a couple of complaints to deal with" she said, indicating the two civilians.

"No problem, me and the lady here...." he began.

"Uh-huh...Mr Fowler here has been waiting the longest and he has a problem which I think you're uniquely suited to help with. I will deal with Miss Vale."

Fowler began to explain his problem to Action "Well, officer, I don't know how quite to explain this problem we have in our little community...but someone's been going around and messing in our swimming pools. And by messing I mean...well...leaving something in them that, frankly, deserves to be in a bathroom."

"I get what you mean" said Action, sighing, whilst watching Datta deal with the elegant woman.

At the end of his shift, Action headed home. The pool depositor case would have to wait until tomorrow. He changed out of his uniform, had some chow and was relaxing when he saw a familiar figure outside of his window. A pleasant and familiar figure. Action got up and went outside to say hello. The person was someone he'd met recently; Katharine Bowie, young socialite. She was dressed in the height of fashion, wearing a few yellow whisps of nothing much.

"Katharine" said Action, smiling. "A pleasure to see you"

"Likewise, Action" she replied.

"All dressed up to the nines, and beyond" said Action, complimenting her appearance.

"A charity fundraising dinner" she said.

"And no plus one? I would have thought all the eligible men of Sim City would be beating a path to your door to accompany you"

"Not tonight, alas" she said. "Do you own a tux?"

"I own two"

"I'll remember that for next time" she said, smiling.

"I'll remember to have them dry cleaned" he replied.