An impatient Robbins sped towards New Valaria on her Turbo Wing. She could have waited for about a half hour, which was when the next train from Daunton was to come. But she had things to sort out, and needed to sort them out quickly, for this day she was in no mood to leave anyone waiting--much less herself.
She thought back to the previous night.
"Will you marry me?"
"I--I--"
His face had tensed up. "I knew I asked you too quickly--just please don't say no. Please."
She had sat there stunned. Finally, after what had seemed like an eternity, she had looked at him. "Can I--can I just think about it?"
He had taken a deep breath. "Sure. Take as much time as you need."
After that they had parted company and gone off to their own residences, feeling very awkward about what had just transpired.
Robbins decided to talk to her best friend, who lived in New Valaria, the following afternoon. She had called her and said she'd be there by two.
This is insane, she thought as she sped along the countryside. I can't marry him, not now. It's all too fast! But then again, we've been through so much in the past couple months, and it seems to have drawn us closer. Besides, being a cop is dangerous work. Both of us have been involved in close shaves recently and either one of us could buy the farm at any time. So maybe we should. And I love him a whole lot, not to mention how compatible we are in bed. The guy means the world to me, and I'm sure he loves me just as much. Hell, the guy proposed. Then again, I may not be feeling love so much as that feeling you get when you're in a recently formed relationship, where everything seems right and you're sure it's "the one". But it really feels like this is "the one" this time...
Robbins' thoughts were still with her as she entered the outskirts of the city and slowed the Turbo Wing down. I really need to talk to Gwen. I know she can help me out.
She eased the wheel to the left as the Turbo Wing approached a gentle curve in the road. Suddenly the wheel slipped and there was no resistance to her pull. She realized the steering mechanism had just malfunctioned, and sucked in a big breath as she saw that she was headed right for a big oak tree at the side of the road. Knowing that she'd never be able to stop in time, she quickly unstrapped herself and leapt off with the agility of a cat. The bike caromed off the tree after leaving a nice impression, and skidded to a stop on the sidewalk. Its rider landed on the ground and rolled to a stop.
"Thank God for my training," she groaned as she laid on the ground. "Oh, I'm so damn lucky."
Suddenly a bystander raced up to her. "Are you okay?" he asked frantically.
"Yeah," she said with some effort, straining to sit up. "Is everyone else okay? What happened to the bike?"
"Miss, you're bleeding!" He pointed at her shoulder.
"Ugh. It would appear that way. So much for my baby blue."
The man seemed panicked. "Miss--"
"Relax, will you? It's just a little blood. Help me up." She extended an arm upward, towards the man.
"Miss, you've got to see a doctor. You shouldn't try to stand--"
Robbins made a disgusted sound and struggled to stand. She winced as her left foot touched the ground and she felt a sharp pain in it. "Ow--"
"Miss, you really--"
"One more peep out of you," she growled, "and I'll shove my bad foot up your ass. I'm fine, I probably whacked it against something immovable during my dive-roll." She limped around for a moment, and by that time a small crowd had developed.
"What happened?" someone asked.
"I don't know," Robbins grunted. "The steering on the Turbo Wing just failed. I've never had that happen to me before, although I've heard that it's not that uncommon. Did anyone or anything important get hit by my hurtling craft?"
"Nope. Although that tree took a nice shot."
"What's the status on my ride?"
"It's totaled. I'm sorry."
"Damn. Well, it's only a machine." She continued to test the foot. "Hm. It doesn't feel broken, but I'd better get it checked out." She glared at the first man who saw her. "Eventually." The man shyly backed away.
Suddenly a stranger darted behind one of the female onlookers and snatched her purse from her. Robbins saw him and raced after him, forgetting momentarily the pain in her foot.
"Where do you think you're going?" she demanded, grabbing his arm as she caught up with him. "That's not your--" She was cut off as he whirled around and backhanded her. She dropped to the ground, surprised, and the crook continued. She leapt back up and raced faster, pulled out her power whip and struck at his feet. The whip wrapped around his ankles and not only sucked out some power but also tripped him up. Robbins jumped on top of him and pinned him.
"I said where do you think you're going?"
"Get off me! I'll call the police!"
"Too late, I'm already here. Besides, as I recall, you swiped a purse from an innocent bystander. That, I believe, is a crime."
The man growled. "I swear I'll--"
One of the onlookers came over with a blackjack and smacked the crook in the back of the head with it. "There you go. No need to expend any more energy."
She rolled off the unconscious purse thief and laid on her back, letting out a sigh.
"Are you all right?"
"My foot's throbbing." She fished a phone number out of her pocket and handed it to the man. "Can you call this number, ask for Gwen, and have her meet me here? Also, call the IPF's local branch and ask if Charlie Stewart is around. If so, have him meet me here too. Oh yeah, my name's Alicia."
"Sure. Just lay there, we'll take care of things."
"Thanks. You're a lifesaver, in more ways than one."
"Well, Miss Robbins, you're pretty lucky," the doctor said. "Your foot isn't broken--but stay off it a few days--and the abrasions and bruises you've sustained aren't very major. You were going how fast?"
"About 70 kilometers per. I think I landed on some soft ground or something."
"Or maybe your training paid off. I hear the IPF trains its members to be killing machines."
Robbins laughed. "That seems to be a bit of an exaggeration."
The doctor shrugged. "We'll have a nurse patch your wounds up in a moment."
"Okay, thanks."
Robbins pulled her gown down and showed the large abrasion on her shoulder to the nurse. The nurse began to work on her shoulder, and Robbins winced and tensed as her mangled flesh was touched. Suddenly Stewart pulled back the curtain, then saw Robbins' bare chest and stared.
Robbins smirked at him. "What's the matter, Charlie, haven't you ever seen a naked woman before?"
Stewart gathered his composure and pulled the curtain back into its original space. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine. My mind is on other matters right now. Is Gwen here yet?"
"I didn't see her at the crash site, and I got there shortly after you left. That lunch hour traffic is murder, it took me forever to get here. What other matters?"
"Coyote proposed last night."
He stared at her even more intently than before. "He did what?" he asked softly.
"That's right. Just popped the question after dinner at Carlton's."
"What did you say?"
"I said I'd get back to him."
"You realize that's the worst thing you can do to a guy."
"Why is that?"
"Well, if you say no, he at least knows that the grieving can start. If you say you're not sure, then he's left hanging. Guys hate suspense, especially if it's in life, and especially if it's in love."
"Geez. Thanks for taking my pressure away."
"Sorry. But you have to know."
"Do you think he's moving too fast?"
He shrugged. "Time has sort of lost its meaning to me."
"Gee, thanks again."
"You know I'm not good with matters of the heart. You should talk to Gwen--but remember, you now have a male perspective too."
"Were you at HQ when I wrecked?"
"Yeah. How'd you guess?"
"I'm psychic. You never leave that place! It's as if it'll collapse without you."
He grinned . "It will."
"Are you familiar with the term 'days off'?"
"Never heard of them."
Then Gwen came in. "Are you okay?" she asked Robbins.
"Yeah, I'm fine," came the reply. "A little banged up."
"So what's this big news?"
"Coyote proposed last night!"
"So soon? Wow. What did you say?"
"I said I'd have to think abut it."
"Keeping him in suspense? Yikes."
"Yeah, that was Charlie's sentiment. What should I do?"
"Well, I take it you've thought of it. What have you decided, and what are you still sketchy on?"
"I don't know whether I really love him, or I'm just in that beginning, easily excited phase of the relationship. That's it."
"My advice? Do some soul-searching. Figure out exactly how you feel about him."
"Okay. I'll do it."
The next day, Stewart called up Robbins at Gwen's house.
"You realize our 'weekend' is over tomorrow," he said. "Back to the grind. But I need to know if you're going to be able to come along with us, because if not I need to grab a substitute."
"Well, I know my foot won't be 100% tomorrow, and you know I'll be distracted."
"I'm not asking you to be 100%. All I'm asking is that you'll be able to fulfill your duties. The last time I had a sub in my group, his timing was so far off mine it wasn't funny. The four of us have a rapport, and we all know what each other is thinking before we even think it."
"Yeah, like I can tell right now you've been fantasizing about my bare chest."
"I've been what?"
She laughed. "Maybe not consciously, but I know you've thought about it since."
"Actually, it did pop into my head last night. You know, you're certainly calmer about such a thing than I would have thought you to be."
"Charlie, I've known you for longer than all my past relationships combined. I'm not concerned about you, or Dan or Mark for that matter, seeing me naked. You're my partners, and my friends."
"I guess you're right. So will you be able to make it?"
She thought for a second. "Sure," she said, "see you tomorrow."
The next day the foursome regrouped and headed out on patrol to the Alpha Centauri system.
"We're going to be in the same vicinity as Coyote," Stewart told Robbins, "and I know you haven't told him."
"I'm telling him today, after we get off. I haven't decided yet, but after today I will have figured it out."
"Care to elaborate?"
She shook her head. "I'm not even sure what I want yet."
The quartet landed at the Alpha divisional HQ a few hours later and sauntered into the office. "Hey, Petrovka," Stewart said, "How's it going?"
"Swimmingly," came the reply.
"Any hot spots in the area?"
"Nowhere specific, but famed jewel thief Ristaemon has been sighted in the area. He got a fresh kill recently."
"He stole an energy crystal?"
"Yeah."
"Is this a major problem?"
"Well, aside from the fact that he seems to be stockpiling them, this one is one of the more powerful ones."
"Even the biggest ones don't carry much more power than a standard cannon."
"This one does. The layout of the gem allows it to harness about six times the energy of a standard crystal."
"Geez. We'll track him down--where was he last seen?"
"Somewhere near Kemmstein. Let me check to see if anyone's beaten you to it." He typed a few commands into his PC, and waited for a screen to come up. "Nope," he said, typing Stewart's name in a field. "It's all yours. Have a blast."
The group arrived in Kemmstein and talked to some local informants. They found out that Ristaemon was indeed in the city, and was rumored to have taken residence in an apartment complex on the east side.
"I.P.F." Stewart flashed his badge at the doorman. "We're here to conduct an investigation."
"Come on in," the man said.
"Do you know where I could find a record of who has recently signed an apartment lease here?"
"Yeah, they keep lease records in the local network. I can access it from the computer here." He walked over, typed in his password and brought up the lease screen.
"Thanks," Stewart said. He performed a search and scrolled through the list for a moment before coming to rest on a peculiar name.
"Jackie Chan?" Robbins looked at the name. "Are you sure that's him?"
"Ristaemon has a thing for Oriental movie stars of the 20th and 21st century," Stewart told her. "He usually uses their names as pseudonyms."
"What if you're wrong?"
"No way to know unless we find out. Apartment 45T," he read. "Let's go, team."
Stewart knocked on the door to apartment 45T, and a slim young man answered. "Can I help you?" he asked.
"Yeah, we're from the I.P.F. Do you have a jewel theif hiding out in this place?"
"Not to my knowledge."
Stewart eyed him critically. This had to be the right apartment, it was the only name that fit. "Your name isn't Jackie Chan, by any chance, is it? That's the name this apartment was leased under."
"Oh, that's my roomate's name. He signed the lease."
Stewart didn't lose his suspicious look. "How long have you known him?"
"I'm new to the area. It's only been a few months since I met him--hey, look, here he comes."
The quartet looked to see a Chinese fellow carrying a sack of groceries. He nodded cordially to them, said hello to the roommate and entered the apartment. Robbins eyed the Chinaman and quirked her brow. Turning to the roommate, she said, "May we come in?"
"Um, sure, I guess that's okay," came the reply.
"Robbins--" Stewart began, but was cut off with a wave of her hand.
"I've got a hunch," she said simply, proceeding into the apartment. She followed the man who was named as Jackie Chan into the kitchen and watched him as he put away his groceries.
"Can I ask why you're here?" Chan asked her.
She folded her arms and stared at him, expressionless. "I've got a sneaking suspicion that you know more than you're letting on."
"Well, your suspicions are baseless. Please, leave before I report you to your superiors."
"You know, I'm awfully curious about one thing. You look Chinese, but there's one inconsistency in that appearance."
"My grandfather was European."
Robbins could see him tense up, although his expression stayed calm. "I'd think you had managed to change shape, but there's no bulge on the back of your neck. Therefore, you can't be a Scimitarian."
Chan continued to look at her, but seemed to relax upon hearing her say that. "Why are you still here?" he asked accusingly.
"Ristaemon's not a Scimitarian," she replied, noticing his eyes, but nothing else, show fear again. "But the enzyme that causes their shapeshifting abilities can have the same effect on other beings."
"What are you saying?" Chan's voice wavered slightly.
"I can see right through you. Your eyes betray you--Ristaemon!"
He started at the name, and realized his reaction had given him away. "All right," he seethed, "I'm him. You found me...but you'll never catch me!" He turned and ran for his bedroom before Robbins could react.
The four cops pursued Ristaemon into the room, and they reached it to find him at the window. The window was open, and he had one foot on the sill. He turned towards them and laughed. "I told you you'd never catch me!" He leapt out the window, onto a waiting Turbo Wing, and headed upwards.
"To the roof!" Stewart shouted, racing for the front door of the apartment. "We'll watch his direction and call a patrolling officer to follow."
From the roof, they could see Ristaemon fleeing toward the east, and called in the position to HQ. They turned to return to the ground, but heard the whine of engines approach, and turned back simultaneously.
Five Turbo Wings fired upon the group, who dove out of the way of the beams and returned fire. As the craft advanced on them, Payton and Milligan leapt on two of them and shoved the riders off, then blasted another Turbo Wing apiece.
"Go after Ristaemon," Stewart said. "We'll take care of this joker."
The last Turbo Wing buzzed the remaining two cops and struck Robbins, knocking her down and sending her rolling towards the edge of the roof. She grabbed the edge as she rolled off, and clung to it with all her might. Oh, God, she thought, Coyote'd be devastated if I-- She stopped herself before letting the thought of death cross her mind, and grunted as she pulled herself back onto the roof. She considered her previous thought for a second, then shrugged it off and stood up.
The flying craft swooped back, and Stewart tossed an energy bomb at the rider, knocking him off. Stewart leaped onto the craft, steered it over to Robbins and picked her up. Stewart looked at the device which was tracking Payton and Milligan, and then headed off in the direction of the others.
Stewart and Robbins caught up with the other two outside of town.
"He's been making zigzags, Captain," Payton said, "but I think we're getting close to his destination."
"You have amazing psychotic powers, Payton," Robbins said. "Look over there."
Payton looked, and saw what appeared to be a huge energy ball buried halfway into the ground. "You think that's it?"
"He hoards energy crystals, remember? That power field is probably run by those gems."
They approached the dome and landed their bikes a few feet from it. They could now see through the energy partition, and saw that it surrounded a medium sized, metal building.
"Well, he's holed up in there, but the force field is probably genrated from within," Robbins said. "Now what?"
Payton studied the field carerfully. "It's a rather thin barrier," he said. "We can get through, but our armor won't."
"Can we catch this guy without armor?" Stewart wondered aloud.
"Do we have any choice?" Robbins asked him. "I mean, if we don't go in, he's gotten away. Better to take a risk and try your best than to not take it, and wonder what might have been." She frowned pensively, then returned her gaze to Stewart.
"Okay, team, let's go." The quartet ran through the energy field, losing their armor on the way. "It's time to rock and roll."
Inside the building, the four found very few guards as they made their way through the hallways. As they interrogated the guards, they learned that the thief was holed up in the basement of the building.
They made their way to the basement, and saw Ristaemon chatting idly with a few of his soldiers. Upon seeing the cops, he shouted to his men to attack the cops and took off down the hall.
The battle was brief, but it slowed the quartet down effectively. They raced after the thief, and paused at a junction.
"Which way?" Milligan asked.
"I don't know," Stewart replied. "You and Payton go left, and we'll go right. Shout out if you find him."
"There he is," Robbins said. "He just went into that room."
"I see that," Stewart said, just before relaying the message to Payton and Milligan. They followed the thief into the next room, which was relatively undecorated and had a safe in the corner.
Ristaemon fired upon the pair with the recently-pilfered crystal, hitting Robbins in the thigh and knocking her backwards through the door. She growled and scrambled up as fast as she could, but Ristaemon flipped a switch to close the door before she could get there. Cursing softly, she opened the door control panel and played with the wires inside in an effort to open the door.
On the other side of the door, Stewart faced Ristaemon. The crook pointed the crystal at Stewart and fired it, blasting Stewart across the room. He then put the crystal into the safe and locked it.
"Step away from the safe," Robbins ordered, opening the door, entering the room and pointing her pistol at him.
"No!" He threw a magnetic restraining cuff at her, which knocked the gun out of her hand and pinned her wrist to the wall. He walked up to her and slapped her in the face. "Don't mess with the best."
"The best?" she demanded, throwing and missing with a punch from her free hand. "Hah! That was the most pathetic excuse for a slap I've ever seen."
Without a reply he bound her other arm to the wall with another cuff and punched her hard in the stomach. She let out a grunt of pain, then noticed Stewart sneaking towards the safe. She smiled internally and glared at Ristaemon.
"That was a girl hit!" she taunted him. "I'm surprised you--" She cut off and groaned as he hit her square in the jaw. She tasted blood and saw Stewart work at breaking into the safe.
"Come on!" she screamed at the thief. "You are so weak! You couldn't drop me if you tried!" Her tirade was met with a punch to the eye. She whimpered with the pain and tried to sneak a glance over at Stewart.
But Stewart already had the safe open and had taken the crystal out of it. Glad I've got the specs for safes like these in my head, he said to himself. I'd hate to have to crack this combination myself.
Stewart called over to Ristaemon. "Hey, did you know you have an energy crystal in your safe?" The thief whirled around, and upon seeing Stewart holding the crystal his eyes grew wide.
"Put that back this instant!" he shouted.
"No," came the reply, accentuated with a blast from the crystal. The blast hit the thief in the chest and knocked him back into the wall. The crook sank to the ground, unconscious.
Stewart ran over and detached the cuffs from the wall, then put chains on the thief. "You all right?" he asked Robbins. "That was pretty quick thinking on your part."
"Thanks. I'm okay." She gave him a peck on the cheek and started running towards the door. "I've got something to take care of," she called back to Stewart. "Tell the chief I'm taking the rest of the day off."
"There's not much left to the day, but okay. Consider it done."
Robbins knocked on Schwirian's door. He answered and looked at her with concern on his face. "Are you all right? What happened?"
"Never mind that," she said, waving her hand. "Ask me again."
"Okay, I'll get the ring and--"
"Forget the ring. Just ask."
He cleared his throat. "Will you marry me?"
"Yes!" she shouted, embracing him tightly as tears formed in her eyes. "Yes."