Once a Cop, Always a Cop (OPEN)

[ransak]

It was a surprisingly sunny afternoon in San Francisco. Not warm in the slightest, but sunny nonetheless. The schoolday had ended short of an hour ago, and Ransak was already exiting a cab that dropped him off in front of a large office-building with a parking lot full of vehicles that looked exactly alike, for the most part anyway. Above the door was a sign saying:

San Francisco Police Department Headquarters

Ransak allowed a slight smile to form in his lips. At least he could be sure he was at the right place. Moving toward the building with a rather thick folder in his arms, Ransak wondered if he could actually become a cop in this town he knew so little of. With that thought in mind, he went through the map of Tucson that had formed within his head from years of living in that town. As he compared what he saw in his head to what he knew of SF, it seemed that the layout of the streets made no sense whatsoever.

Ransak paused to look at his wristwatch, seeking to confirm he was on time for his "job interview". Much to his dismay, he was half an hour early. Annoyed, he let out a long 'Hmph', Ransak's substitute for 'damn it'. It seemed he would have to go kill some time.

Looking around discretely, Ransak quickly spotted a café just across the street, and a newspaper stand just next to it. Once Ransak crossed the street, he bought himself a copy of the day's paper, placed the folder in his coat and took a seat on one of the outside tables of the café, reading a few articles as he waited for someone to come up to him and ask what he wanted. Again, the headlines were about the Varron transfer students, but the article seemed to be more of a warning to all citizens that these Varronites were dangerous than an actual account of the events that brought them there.

Having been a former detective with the Tucson PD, Ransak knew perfectly well that most media were either sensationalist, or too eager to express their views. He also knew that it was always better to llisten to both sides of the story before taking conclusions.

It took roughly five minutes for a waitress to come up to his table and take his order, and if she hadn't bumped in to his table, Ransak would have to wait even longer. Ransak ordered a cup of coffee, black, no sugar, and cursed his natural stealth beneath his breath as the waitress went back inside to (hopefully) get him some coffee.

While he waited, Ransak put the newspaper down for a moment to think about his current situation. While still a detective in Arizona, his jurisdiction didn't reach across to Saan Francisco. As a matter of fact, Ransak was near the Police headquarters to ammend just that. Also, now that he was out of Tucson, he woulld have to find another dojo where he could either carry on his training, or learn a new style to add to his repertoire. Maybe Karate or Jeet Kune Do, who knows. But worst of all, Ransak was practically alone in this town. The only person he actually knew in San Francisco was his cousin Andrea, and she moved to SF along with him, so no help there. And with Ransak's luck, his first few acquaintances would force him to choose between Hircinians, Varronites, and worst of all, the law. While his mind drifted through the confusion his life had become, Ransak looked at the sky, a sad look on his face. He would have to solve these problems by himself, but none were easily taken care of. All Ransak could do now was wait for his coffee, wait for the right time to go inside the police HQ, and wait for an answer to come to his head.

[officer]

Carlos was thankful for the small coffee shop across the street for many reasons. One, every single wanna-be cop would order the toughest coffee- Black, no sugar. The waitress would treat them horribly, and when they finally ordered, they gave the police station a call. This was the third kid this week that was trying to join the police department.

"He's eighteen. So we'll throw him your way, Carlos." The Chief had said. San Francisco wanted no police offer that didn't have at least two years of police foundation training, and at least two years of college or university. This ruled all eighteen year olds out. Best break the news to him in a most comical fashion.

Carlos exited the police station, entered his pretty pink Ferrari, and drove across the street, parking at an awkward angle. He smoothed out his busy hair as much as he could, and entered the cafe. Seeing the senior student, without even asking, he promptly sat down in front of him. He made no noise. He simply stared at him.

[ransak]

While staring vaguely at the sky, Ransak spotted a man leaving the police HQ. He saw the man go in a pink Ferrari, then drive toward the café, park out in front, and walk in toward him. Ransak knew right away what this man was here for. He was here to break the bad news to him.

A few days before leaving Tucson, some of the other detectives told Ransak a few things about the San Francisco Police Department. Apparently, they were looking for more experienced cops, and dismissed younger detectives such as himself. Mike Segura, Ransak's partner, put it another way: 'Those elitist pricks won't want you through the door'. Ransak had hoped that this comment, along with most of what Mike said, was simply an exaggeration. As the stranger sat down in front of him, Ransak plainly said:

"So, you're the guy they sent to tell me I'm too young to make it in the SFPD."

Ransak quickly pulled his folder out of his jacket and dropped it on the table, right in front of the man. That single folder contained Ransak's resume, detailing his two years as a Tucson Detective who worked several areas, mainly Homicide and Street Crime. It detailed several case files, from chop shop operations to murder cases, all of which Ransak had busted, along with a letter of recommendation and a letter adressed to the SF Police Chief with all the other necessary information. But to make sure they at the very least gave him a chance, Ransak began to calmly explain his reasons, while discretely pulling out his badge:

"You don't have to look through those, but at least pretend you gave them a glance. Detective Ransak Ventura, Tucson PD. I'm here to work on an organized crime case that started back in Tucson and led me here. I'm not sure your Chief filled you in on the situation, but unless he had a change of heart overnight, I'll be working on the case even if I don't get a job in the SFPD. But I'm trying anyway, so I can be of some other use around here."

The moment he finished speaking, the waitress finally arrived with Ransak's coffee. When she turned away, Ransak drank about half of it in one gulp. Then, Ransak folded his arms in front of his chest, waiting for the officer's response.

[officer]

"This isn't hick down, kid. If I looked at those files i'm sure that i'd find most of them forged or stolen." Carlos used one hand to open it, and stare at his birthdate. "You're telling me you dropped out of highschool, to become a homicide detective, at sixteen years old?" He said rather loudly. The cafe bursted into laughter.

"If you want to play Private Eye, you can do it some where else. The minimum age requirement for any half-decent police station is twenty two. Get some more experience under your belt. Yeah, I came here to tell you you're too old." Carlos said as he sifted through the files. He closed the folder. "You're out of your jurisdiction by five hundred miles. Pack up and go home to mom's house."

(Do you see the problem with an eighteen year old having two years experience with homicide? I do. Ever seen a 16 year old with a trench coat, a pipe, a .44 Magnum, and a cadillac driving around solving crimes? No? Okay. We play it realistically on this website. Whoever approved your bio should recheck it.)