Episode 30 The Shuffle Alliance (part 1/3) (Patreon)

Episode 30

The Shuffle Alliance

Jack Routh

“A Hovertank?” He laughed at the ridiculous idea. He was having a date night with his wife, two days after their return from vacation. Without any concrete plan, they ended up at a bar called the Naughty Pig by Sunset Boulevard.

It was good bar, with reasonable prices for their drinks with burgers big enough that he didn’t have to order a second one.

“Oh yeah.” Zoe grinned. “This was at Fort Baxter, just before I got promoted to full Major.”

“So who came up with this idea?” He asked.

“It was their motorpool.” His wife answered. “That thing was a mess. The armor was thinner than a Bradley, could barely clear a foot off the ground, and when it fired….”

“Let me guess, the recoil causes it to move backwards?” He asked.

“If only. It goes out of control when it fires and actually crashed the bleachers we were sitting on to observe a demonstration of the capabilities. The general I was with was not happy after he was forced to jump to avoid getting crushed.”

He laughed at the image of a General in uniform jumping to save his life. He couldn’t believe it was real, but he knew Zoe wasn’t one to make up stories or embellish the truth.

“So what happened after?”

“The base CO was shuffled to Greenland, while a master sergeant of the motor pool was dishonorably discharged and imprisoned for a few years.” Zoe shared. “He was stealing Army property, and was even running a hidden casino inside the base for years.”

“Damn.” He couldn’t believe someone like that was able to remain undetected for so long.

“Last I heard, he got out.” Zoe continued speaking. “He’s apparently a military technical adviser to some Hollywood studios. I have no idea how he weaseled his way into that role, but it’s not my job anymore.”

“No wonder Hollywood movies that involve the military always suck.” He observed.

“Tell me about it. There was one time I was stuck in waiting for my flight, and a movie was military movie playing in the lounge.” His wife looked tipsy but animated as she shared her story. “The main character was Steven Segal. He was supposed to be an ex-navy seal that also works for the CIA and FBI.”

“You have to watch it with me as soon as I remember the title!” Zoe insisted. “He was fighting, while sitting on an office chair! And he was so fat his vest only covered a fourth of his torso!”

He made a mental note to do just that. It sounded like a movie that was so horrible it could end up as an accidental comedy movie.

“And you have to watch him run!” Zoe finished her story with a giggle. “The man was wheezing after running down a corridor and can barely speak his lines!”

He’d make a spectacle out of it, and planned for Hondo, Street, and even Tim to watch it. It would be fun to watch their reactions and listen to their commentary.

Movement from his peripheral attracted his attention and he noticed the door to the bar swing open. He raised an eyebrow when he saw familiar faces, all of them his batch mates at the academy. If they were here, then that meant… John and Lucy should make an appearance.

He was right, five minutes later the two arrived and he observed as they sat on a large table apparently reserved for them, though John and Lucy were now obstructed by other people from his two person table.

“Friends of yours?” He liked how observant Zoe was despite being tipsy.

“Just Nolan and Chen.” He nudged hiss head at their direction. “It looks like a batch reunion.”

“And you’re not invited?” Zoe asked.

“I wasn’t really big on social outings back then.” He replied. “It’s natural that they won’t invite me to this one.”

“Do you want to join them?”

“No.” He replied immediately. “Why don’t we go for a drive? It’s still early, and I can just say hi at their table as we leave.”

He sat patiently as his wife pondered his suggestion. She finally agreed and finished her drink. “Go say hi. I’ll go wait in the car.”

Lucy Chen

She was giddy with anticipation. It had been nearly a year since she last saw her friends, fellow cadets that are now police officers like her. She was eager to swap stories, share gossip and have a good time like they did when they were still in the academy.

“Calm down Lucy.” John drove too slowly for her tastes. She should have gone on her own, but her car wouldn’t start.

“There they are!” She spotted their group and rushed over. She was close with Erin Cole and hugged her first, followed by Chris Rios, Jackson’s rival. He looked extremely happy and smug, and she had an idea why.

John finally arrive and they quickly greeted each and every member of their group.

“Can’t believe you found your long lost love.” Chris handed John a beer. “Happy for you, man.”

“Thanks!” John had changed since he got married in Hawaii. He smiled more, and was constantly wearing the goofy grin on his face. She heard rumors that Nyla wanted to have him checked by a psychiatrist after their first day back on patrol. She was sure those rumors of John whistling happily as he escorted a suspect from a 211 to the shop was pure fabrication.

“You’re looking unusually happy.” She addressed Chris.

“Well you know me.” Chris puffed out his chest. “The true number one is finally revealed.”

There was a round of awkward laughter following that. Jackson West was pretty well liked in their group, and was generous in helping them out for exams and review nights. But he had washed out on his first day, and courage under fire was an essential part of being a police officer.

“I don’t know about that number one spot you’ve been aiming for.” She stated. “You know who the real number one is on our batch.”

There were murmurs of agreement from the others and he felt Erin tap her shoulder.

“It’s true right? About… him?” Her female friend asked.

“Can’t believe he’s a P2 now.” Chris shook his head in disbelief. “The lone wolf got lucky.”

“They’re all true.” John answered for her. “His first day on Mid-Wilshire, our second, we got pinned down by higher caliber fire arms. He took three shots, and I’m sure you know the rest.”

“Double headshot.” Chris murmured. “So what is he calling himself now? Sugar right?”

“Just Jack.”

She stiffened when she heard that familiar voice and turned around. Jack was standing right behind her, towering over their group, only John was near his height, but not in muscles and bulk.

“Hey guys.” Jack gave a greeting.

“Holy shit, Routh!” Chris gaped. “You’re huge!”

“Metro has an excellent gym.” Jack explained. “And D-platoon’s training exercises make sure we’re always in tip top shape.”

Jack’s sudden appearance had caused several in their group to shift uncomfortably from where they were standing. She figured they were probably unsure on how to deal with their most famous batch mate who was now a P2 before their FTO had officially concluded. His exploits were by now legendary, and she could sort of understand why they had that start struck expression.

“You… you here alone, Routh?” Chris appeared to have gathered his courage and spoke once more.

“I was out with Zoe. She’s waiting in the car, but I thought I’d say hi when I saw your group. Stay safe.” Jack appeared to have sensed the discomfort in the group and decided to leave. They watched as their famous batch mate left the bar and immediately huddled as a group.

“Did you see those muscles?”

“Holy Shit! He’s built like a tank now.”

“Did he really marry that hot captain?”

“Who knew the lone wolf was capable of that?”

Their batch reunion turned into a gossiping session about Jack as they drank beer. Even as she shared her knowledge, part of her still couldn’t believe Jack had accomplished that much in such a short time.

She noticed Erin became quiet after Jack’s appearance. She had increased her drinking pace and was on her third drink already and she hadn’t even finished her first.

“Why don’t I take you out for some fresh air.” John offered.

“I’ll  take her.” She stepped in and hooked her arm around her friend’s elbow and guided her to the exit. Erin seemed like she might need some female company.

“Spill.” She stated once they leaned on the wall in front of the bar. “What’s bothering you?”

“I’m worried about Chris.” Erin confessed. She raised an eyebrow in interest. Were the two dating? They had always been butting heads at the academy. “I’m concerned about his transition, from being the top of the class to being another boot. He was so smug when he heard Jackson washed out and he was so insufferable that day.”

“But when we started hearing of Jack’s accomplishments….” Erin let out a deep sigh of frustration. “He’s become reckless, trying to crack the next big case or catch the armed and dangerous suspect. I’m afraid he’s to get himself hurt in the future.”

“Are you two dating?” She asked.

“In the academy, but we broke it off when we joined the force.” Erin replied. “I’m just worried about him.”

“And what about you?” Years living with her parents taught her to ask the right questions.

“Me?” Erin gave a hollow, tired laugh. “Sometimes I want to get away from it all.”

“You don’t like being a cop?” She asked.

“It’s not… really what I expected.” Erin admitted. “I want to travel the country instead. You know, see the sights in an RV. Sleep anywhere I want, go wherever I want to go… complete freedom.”

“Maybe you can have that soon. Graduation is just around the corner, and we’ll be entitle to paid leaves by then.” She replied, trying to comfort her friend. It looked like she had burned out and needed to unwind.

“C’mon, let me show you a video where I was singing with Taylor Swift on stage in a private concert.” She bragged. As expected, Erin’s eye widened and her mouth dropped open. Her friend was a big Swiftie.

“You did not!” Erin stated in an even tone.

“Wanna bet?” She showed off her receipt, meaning the video of her taken by Angela as she sang with the famous pop start.

“Oh my god! That’s really her!” Erin squealed in delight and grabbed her phone. She smiled in satisfaction, seeing how she was able to raise her friend’s spirits.

Zoe Andersen Routh

There were multiple reasons why vacations were eagerly anticipated by everyone working a regular job. It was meant to take a break from a stress filled environment, a moment to unwind, relax, and even re-energize one’s self for the grueling work ahead. So why did it feel like things got worse when she got back?

It started with an event she was invited to attend a day after she arrived in Hawaii. It was supposed to be one of those formal events, usually a sit down dinner with some ceremony included for promoting brass or giving out awards and medals.

What she and Jack saw when they arrived at the venue of a hotel ballroom was mind boggling. Chief Williams had the idea to turn the event as a wedding reception for the two of them. The mayor and the city council were even present.

They sat at the head table with the politicians beside a large wedding cake while photographers took countless photos, their flashes giving her a migraine. It was obvious that this was a P.R. stunt, and the city officials were taking advantage of Jack’s surge in popularity.

She would have accepted the event just fine if that was it, but then the Chief used the opportunity to announce his retirement. William’s replacement was someone she dreaded, and she knew from the look of the woman across the table that things would be difficult in the future.

She never got along with Susan Coleman ever since she arrived in L.A. The older female police commander was the only one that raised an issue when her paperwork was being processed. Ever since then she avoided the woman, and learned from Jessica Cortez that Coleman seems to be less forgiving with female brass like her.

  “We better watch our backs.” Cortez whispered to her that night.

Williams hadn’t officially resigned, yet Coleman was starting to throw her weight around. In the next meeting, she immediately noticed that she and Cortez were seated farther away. It was like the incoming chief was already declaring who her favorites were.

“Captain?”

She gestured for Nyla Harper to come inside her office. The detective turned training officer immediately asked for a meeting the moment she returned to her post, but with her busy schedule she was only able to accommodate Harper today.

“Sit down.” She gestured for the woman to sit. “What can I do for you, Officer Harper?” She asked.

“I just want to share some concerns.” Harper shifted in her seat and started to run her palms on her knees. “Since I wasn’t attending the conference, I applied for a week long personal leave.”

“And I approved of it.” She replied, wondering where Harper was headed.

“I knew the patrol schedules before I left.” Harper continued. “I knew a patrol unit would pass by my street at a certain time period, yet none did, for entire week.”

She sat up straight on her office chair when she heard that. “I gave Armstrong specific instructions about maintaining the schedule I devised. It was not followed?”

“I’m not sure.” Harper shrugged. “I asked him about it when I saw him at station last week. He said he was just giving the guys a break because of how peaceful our area is.”

She seethed when she heard that. The reason Mid-Wilshire won the right to represent the state in that conference was because of how efficient and methodical her division operated. To hear Nick Armstrong basically ignore the foundation she was carefully laying down in Mid-Wilshire was infuriating. It was a pity that today was Armstrong’s rest day, or she would have called him to her office at that moment and demand answers. She took a deep breath and exhaled, and once she controlled her emotions, gave an approving nod to Harper.

“Thank you Harper. I appreciate you telling me this.” She stated. She knew cops were reluctant to rat out other cops.

Armstrong was a senior detective, and it was good thing she didn’t solely rely on him alone since Vestri and Wolfe had similar experiences. With the latter two out in Hawaii, it seemed like no one was there to keep the night general in check.

She was tempted to summon Armstrong, but she hesitated at the last minute. She needed to know why the senior detective from 77 th blatantly ignored her clear instructions. As soon as Harper left, she called Wolfe. She needed to know the patrol schedule and the progress on cases when she was gone for the week.

“Captain?” Wolfe asked over the phone.

“Get in here, and bring the progress reports on your cases.” She ordered.

 “I’ll get that to you as soon as I figure out where my case files went.” She could hear the frustration in the detective’s voice. “Vestri’s going over the cases that we left behind with Patrol. It seemed like Nick made a mess while we were gone.”

“I’m just hearing about it now.” She replied. “Bring Vestri as well when you’re ready. We need to fix this, fast.”

She felt like her was going to explode with all the issues she had to deal with by the end of day. Frustrated and pissed, she decided to do one of her favorite activities to relax aside from sex with her husband. She took out her phone and called him. His shift should be ending too.

“Honey?” Jack answered after the fifth ring.

“Hi!” She greeted her husband. Hearing his voice made her sour mood vanish completely, but there was still the stress to deal with. “How are you?”

“I just finished responding to a Polish hostage situation.” Jack replied.

“What does a hostage’s nationality have got to do with your case?” She asked.

“It’s Metro slang.” Her husband explained. “You know the type, those I’ll blow my head off if you come through the door sort of people.”

“Are you hurt? Did everything go well?” She asked.

“We’re fine. The situation could have gone well past my shift if it wasn’t for Street.” Jack shared. "I just finished storing my gear. Where are you?”

She found her husband handing his specialized gear to the armory custodian and tapped him on the shoulder. “Right behind you.”

They kissed the moment they reached the parking building. She inhaled her husband’s scent, and wished she had him by her side today when she was dealing with a wide variety of issues. One sniff of Jack’s unique scent, a peck on the lips and a hug and she’d be ready to tackle the problem. But that would be unprofessional, and she had to settle for this.

“How do you feel about visiting the shooting range?” She asked.

“So it was that bad?” Jack really knew her, and it was Defcon 4 if she wanted to shoot.

“Chief Williams is retiring, and his replacement… well, let’s just say she’s not a big fan of me.” She explained.

“She?”

“Commander Susan Coleman.” She replied. She turned on the ignition and her GR86 roared to life. “She’s slated to replace him in a few weeks, but she’s already throwing her weight around. She’s not a big fan of me or Captain Cortez.”

 “That’s expected.” Her husband replied. “Studies show that women in power view those of the same gender in a male dominated environment as threats to their position.”

She wanted to say that was wrong, but she knew her husband wasn’t lying. She tried to be fair to her subordinates regardless of their gender but she would not want to serve under a female boss. Unfortunately for her, she didn’t have any choice about the matter.

After a half an hour of driving they reached Martin’s gun range. There a few cars in the parking lot, but they were parked near the pistol range.

“Are we shooting rifles?” Jack asked.

“No, but I wanted to help dial in some of our recent purchases.” Firing guns always soothed her, and she could not think of a better way to relieve her stress than to feel a gun in her hands. With an unexpected windfall due to Howard’s generosity, she was confident she would be able to buy any attachment John Martin had in stock. She headed to the trunk of her car and opened the boot, revealing two carrying cases and a few smaller bags.

“We’re going to dial in the AR-15 and the HK-416.” She stated. “Add the modifications we wanted and make them ready for use.”

She suddenly had a bright idea to make things even more interesting and combine the two things that relieved her of her stress, sex, and firearms. “Why don’t we each set it up according to our own preferences? Martin picks his favorite, but he doesn’t have to know he’s judging a competition to make it fair.”

Her husband looked intrigued at her proposal. “Deal. The loser has to stay naked for the next rest day.”

That’s more like it. There weren’t any real losers if that was Jack’s choice of punishment. She was already familiar with being half-naked most of the time around her husband at their home. She enjoyed the way Jack’s eyes followed her whenever she wore her thin tops and short shorts around the house while doing her chores.

“Deal.” She replied immediately.

“That’s not all.” Jack added. “Winner gets to choose their breakfast.”

That was tame, but okay. They shook hands quickly, but she thought she caught the smirk on her husband’s lips.

John Martin greeted them from behind the counter. The older man had a welcoming smile on his face as he exchanged quick greetings.

“How was Hawaii?” Martin asked her.

“Fantastic.” She answered. “But I was starting to miss home despite being in paradise.”

They soon explained what they wanted in their visit, to properly set up their firearms and then dial in their accuracy and the firing range. Martin quickly agreed, and even offered his advice on how to set up the attachments. She could see how excited he was about the amount of attachments they were about to purchase.

“We’ll be fine.” She told the retired gunnery sergeant. “Just tell me which setup you like more.”

“We’ll test it out on the range when you’re done.” Martin nodded. “Pick anything you like on the shelves.”

She spent around thirty minutes collecting the attachments she thought suited the HK-416, and it was a good thing Martin had a large inventory and an excellent selection. She bought the rifle because Jack used one, and she wanted her husband to have a familiar weapon in the house in case he needed it for emergencies. The AR-15 already had a scope, but she was puzzled when she glanced over at the next table and saw that her husband had practically stripped the rifle bare.

He removed the scope, the iron sights, and even the old stock. Huh. Her husband had that intense look of concentration on his face as he expertly wielded the Allen wrench. She focused on her own task and got back to work, and removed the stock and replaced it with a D5 Bravo since it felt the most comfortable. A Surefire RC2 was the next attachment, followed by a mini turbolight.  She needed to save some weight at the end.

The Eotech exps3 was next for her red dot, and positioned the full power D-ball a bit back to keep the rifle more balanced. She dropped the required oil and pulled back the hammer a few times. Happy with her work and confident of her victory, she turned to her husband who looked like he was nearly finished with his rifle. She was about to tell Jack to strip as soon as he got in the car when she saw what Jack did.

She narrowed her eyes when she saw the changes he made to the rifle. Why was he adding tape to the AR-15?

John Martin

Miss Zoe’s HK-416 was good as he tested its weight. It seemed like she designed it for her own build, but he could still use it in combat. He turned to Zoe's husband, Jack Routh, and smiled at what he saw.

The souped up 16 inch AR-15 looked like it was made for a special forces operator.

He put it on and noted the unusual configuration. The red dot was placed on top of the scope. Most would have placed it an angle. Interesting.

“You like the same head placement,” He theorized. “When you use both the scope and the red dot.”

“I’m not a fan of twisting the weapon or twisting my neck just to use the red dot. I have to change my shoulder placement and fling out my elbow if I do that, and it seems like wasted movement to me.” Zoe’s husband explained. “Same placement and movement means more accurate shooting.”

“Some guys get good at canting the weapon to get the red dot, but I see your point.” He murmured. “Oh you retained the mechanical sights.”

“There’s still room, and I like a backup to my backup,” Jack replied. “Pop it up, scope goes down, red dot goes down, but you can still engage the enemy.”

“I like the B5 Bravo.” He extended it for a moment and returned it to its default position. “This is for extra batteries huh?”

“That’s right. You never know when you need to replace batteries. It’s better to have spare ones in hand.”

He nodded and inspected the modified weapon further. He smiled as Jack placed a tape by the stock, and he knew it was a marker so that he could index his face whenever he aimed the weapon. Again the large man was aiming for efficiency, and that was unusual. Usually gun enthusiasts prefer the flashy attachments and leave it at that.

He even noticed that he placed the scope about 2 and a half inches off the charging handle and with the stock once again extended he placed it on his shoulder and realized he ha d the ideal distance of his eye to the scope.

The added fore grip and sling finished the look, along with the laser light that doubled as a light at the bottom and a suppressor mounted at the end. It was overall, a vey sweet set up.

Something must have shown on his face as Zoe suddenly reacted and muttered a curse.

“What did I do?” He asked.

“You like his weapon system better.” Zoe pouted. He grinned, ignoring the urge to ruffle her hair. He still remembered that determined lass, eager to get away from her family to join a new one with the marine corps.

He was happy for her, and she looked more relaxed and at peace after getting married to Jack.  He was even happier with the attachments they selected. They were all top notch, and his sales target for the month would be reached just from the accessories of these two rifles and the handguns.

Eager to dial in Jack’s creation, he quickly led them to the rifle range. He bet this baby could easily hit body shots at 700 or 800 yards.

Jack Routh

“What?”  He couldn’t believe what he just heard.

“Your… brutal actions on that show revealed an alarming lack of empathy towards animals.” Chief Coleman added. “Frankly, I’m astounded that you were willing to do such a thing in front of a large audience.”

“Chief, the animals I killed are invasive species. As I understand, they’re often culled to preserve the local biodiversity." He explained. Coleman merely scoffed.

Fuck. This was what his wife was ranting about for the past week. She had warned him, but he didn’t actually believe the new chief of police could be that petty, or stupid.

“You’ll be placed on administrative leave until the investigation is concluded.” Coleman finished. “You’re dismissed, Officer Routh.”

Fuck it. If she didn’t want him, he had other choices, alternative paths to follow. He left Central and headed back to Rampart. Unfortunately, Hondo was on personal leave, so he reported his status to his captain, Jessica Cortez.

It was the first time he saw the metro captain looking so defeated when he told him of his meeting.

“It’s just as we feared.” Cortez confided in him. “Coleman is a controversial commander. Certainly capable, but her decisions have always been influenced by outside sentiment.”

That was a polite way of saying Coleman was trying to cozy up to or was influenced in some way by special interest groups. That was a very dangerous combination, and perhaps it was time to step back from the LAPD in the meantime. He could still help protect his city in his own way, and he was sure Susan Coleman wouldn’t last if she was this soft to bend down and be influenced.

“I think this move from the chief is an attempt to warn Zoe as well.” Cortez appeared to have dropped formalities as she addressed his wife by her first name. “Susan Coleman can be very difficult for other women with rank in the force.”

“So my administrative leave…”

“It's a way to send your wife a message.” Jessica Cortez finished for him. Her face looked worried, and he knew why.

“You’re afraid Hondo might be next.” He stated. He was amused to see his captain’s reaction to what he just said. Her eyes widened considerably, and she leaned back to her seat, as if pushed by an invisible force.

“How did you know?” Cortez asked after a moment of silence. Good, he appreciated that she didn’t even try to deny his statement. “Did… did Zoe tell you?”

“I do have eyes, Captain.” He replied with a small smile to reassure his boss. “And no, Zoe didn’t tell me. I noticed it when I first arrived for training. The way you focus on Hondo more than the other platoon leaders during briefings, the way Hondo looks at you when you enter the room, and the moments you take breaks at the exact time that the sergeant does.”   

“There are many more clues, but I doubt anyone else noticed unless someone catches the two of you together on a date.” He added.

“We’ve taken precautions.” Cortez replied. “But with this… I’m worried about what Coleman will do to get to me.”

“Do we have alternative means to counter her decisions?” He asked.

“If she’s just reshuffling personnel, then no.” Jessica Cortez replied. “She’s just exercising her authority as the new chief of police. Anyway, you need to get back to Mid-Wilshire and calm your wife down when she hears the news. It’s better to hear it from you than to read it in an email.”

Cortez was right. He needed to reassure Zoe he’d be fine. They would just need to wait out this storm.