Chapter 5 - Em

Fredricka had ruthlessly taken the lives of two men before fleeing through the emergency exit. Emilee, driven by instinct, decided to give chase, firmly believing that Fredricka couldn't have gotten far. With adrenaline coursing through her veins, Emilee dashed into the alleyway behind the bank, her eyes scanning the surroundings. There were only two possible escape routes. The first was out into the street and the second was to continue down the alleyway. She knew that Fredricka would likely be covered in blood from her encounter with the second man, urging her to remain hidden. The alleyway was her only choice.

Emilee sprinted up the alleyway, meticulously inspecting every rubbish container in search of any discarded evidence left behind by Fredricka. A little ways down the alley, around a corner in a large bin she found her clue. In the bin laid a yellow blood-soaked dress, the same dress that Fredricka had been wearing earlier. Realising the significance of this find, Emilee swiftly reported the discovery and the direction of her pursuit to her backup, though they were still some distance away. As she secured her radio back on her chest, it exploded from impact, sending shards of plastic and metal outwards, littering the alleyway. She had been shot, but fortunately, her bulletproof vest had saved her from certain death. In agonising pain, Emilee crumpled to the ground, expecting another shot to end her life. However, seconds ticked by without any further aggression. Fredricka had intentionally wounded her as a warning but seemingly didn't wish to deliver a fatal blow.

Left without her phone, which she had left in her car, Emilee faced a critical decision. She could wait for backup, jeopardising the chance of apprehending Fredricka, or she could pursue her alone, without any means of communication. While protocol dictated she should halt her pursuit, Fredricka had already committed multiple murders and posed an imminent threat. Emilee knew that Fredricka wouldn't offer another warning, but if she was a professional, this would likely be her only opportunity. Accepting the danger and driven by the thrill of the chase, Emilee chose to press on.

As a child, Emilee's father would often take her hunting. She had really enjoyed tracking down wild animals and shooting them, but her fathers version of hunting, which they did for fun, was not to kill the animal, but to shoot them with gel balls. This gave Emilee the experience of hunting without the sadness of the death of the animals. The gel balls would just give the animal a rude shock, causing it to flee. On a successful hunt Emilee and her dad would high five and find another animal to stalk. It was her favourite pastime. This was the reason she had become a police officer—the thrill of the hunt.

Half an hour later, Emilee had tracked Fredricka down to an abandoned warehouse where she watched Fredricka pick the lock and break in. Emilee suspected it was a trap, and if she followed her inside, she would be at a disadvantage. After a short interval of scouting from afar, Emilee crept up to the building and attempted to find an alternative entry point. Unfortunately, without resorting to property damage, the front door remained her only viable option. She sighed internally and took the plunge, gun raised, senses heightened and ready for a shootout.

Once inside, she quickly scanned the room and used her police training to advance into the facility. In her mid-twenties, Emilee had served as a police officer for nearly a decade. The downside of this was that a majority of her training was from before the First evolution. Amongst the biggest changes in policing, the First evolution had significantly changed the tactics of infiltration. Stealth was more challenging now with a large conspicuous health bar above your head. Emilee breached the main door, stepping onto the workshop floor. Her view of the larger warehouse space was obstructed by a large box near the entrance. Emilee hid behind the box before attempting to peek around the corner, only to have a bullet pierce her health bar.

"The technique is to use a reflective surface to peek around corners nowadays," shouted Fredricka from within the room.

"Thanks for the tip," retorted Emilee.

"I am curious Inspector, Why haven't you called for backup?"

"You destroyed my radio," yelled Emilee. "And my phone is in my car."

"Well, I admire your dedication to the job to take me on alone. But, is it worth your life?"

Fredricka caught Emilee off guard, she was right, the odds of her death in a shootout were uncomfortably high.

"Why don't you just leave and we can pretend this never happened. No one will know," continued Fredricka.

Calculating that Fredricka likely had six shots remaining, Emilee resolved to exhaust her adversary's ammunition to create an opportunity for an ambush. Emilee dived out from the box to an adjacent wall. No panic shots were fired. Fredricka was definitely a professional. In her dive she had judged Fredricka's position, spotting her hiding amongst pallets in the middle of the room. She had cover on all sides.

"You must be exhausted from running all this time. Surrender and we will give you a holiday," called out Emilee.

This tactic never worked, but Emilee had to give Fredricka the chance to surrender before starting a firefight.

"Okay, I'm coming out," Fredricka responded nonchalantly. "I would love a holiday."

Emilee was shocked, was it a tactic to flush her out? Emilee retrieved a shard of broken glass, employing it as a makeshift mirror to survey the area around the corner. To her astonishment, Fredricka stood exactly where she claimed, her gun dangling casually from one of her fingers, arms raised in surrender. Emilee emerged from her cover, gun trained on Fredricka.

"Keep your hands up!" Emilee commanded, closing the distance.

"Yeah, yeah, I know the drill," Fredricka replied, seemingly compliant.

Something felt too perfect about the situation, what was her game plan? As she approached Fredricka she noticed something was awry, but it was too late. Sand erupted from Fredricka's location, striking Emilee's face. Although her tactical glasses shielded her vision, the diversion granted Fredricka enough time to retrieve her gun and aim it at Emilee. Surprisingly, however, she refrained from pulling the trigger. A tense standoff ensued, with both women locked in a deadlock, each holding their firearm steady.

Is this what she wanted?