June 7th, 50XX200Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGtspY5S9LP
Monday
"Morning, Franny!" Says a co-worker in the station she's stationed at, seeing her walk in the doors.
"Hi, Jim." She says briskly, heading to her desk, booting up her computer ready to get to work. "You, okay?" He asks her.
"Never better. Why?" She responds.
"You've we're frosty all of last week and it's Monday morning, a new week and you still are.
What's up with you?"
She sighs. "Fine, you want to know the truth?"
He raises an eyebrow.
"My son is missing."
"The one you adopted at six years old, the troublemaker?"
"His not a troublemaker! His just rambuctious and has alot of energy and his fourteen years old for your information and I love him."
"But does he love you back? Kids from foster care are on another level.
Especially if his parents we're threats against the country. I'm telling you, it's hereditary."
"And all adoption records are sealed the moment they enter the system, Jim. It's no child's fault, ending up in the system and there is no way of knowing if any of their parents we're rebels or if they died in a car accident and there was no other family to take the child."
"But there is still a chance?"
"And? With love, guidance and being there, they will become productive members of society."
"Mmm, okay." Says Jim, taking a bite of a sandwich. "Wait, backtrack to the start. You said your son actually was missing.
Do you know where he is? How long has he been gone, Franny? Any clue where he'd be?"
"Uh, a week?"
"Really? My God, I'll grab a report and help you fill it out!" He says, placing his sandwich down and picking up a clipboard. "Stupid women."
"I heard that."
"So when did you last see him?"
"Friday, the 28th of May. He went out at 3:19 p.m., came home from school at 3 prior and did not return home after he went out."
"Franny, it's the fucking 7th of June! Did he take anything with him?"
"A backpack?"
Her co-worker rolls his eyes. "But were any clothes missing from his room?"
"Uh, I think."
"Did he say where he was going?"
"No, not really. I trust him, he knows to always come back before it gets dark.
He usually goes to the park; the ice-cream van is down there every day after the school. He loves the pond ducks too, he watches them."
"But did he go there?"
"I-I don't know."
"Franny, I'm going to be direct with you. Did he have a streak of rainbow in his hair or had he dyed his entire hair rainbow recently?"
"No!"
"I'm not sure what to tell you then, I guess it rules out the Rainbow Teen Movement for the moment. I'll file this and we'll see if we can trace your sons' previous movements.
But I don't like your luck as you have waited a full week before mentioning this."
"No, really. You don't have to!"
"Franny, shut up. Your son is missing, quit being stupid." He says, walking off with the report, filing it and returns later, handing Franny a piece of paper.
"Sergeant says you are on Missing Teen Duty. A 14-year-old female, Kate Bennson was reported missing four days ago, on Friday, but due to the long weekend, the department was delayed in responding..."
"Yes, the long weekend holiday in honour of our great president and nation."
"Yeah, me and the mates had some nice cool beers on the porch then went in and watched the parade on the TV.
What'd you do?"
"Read a banned book."
"Don't make jokes." He snaps, shaking his head, unknown to him, she really did over the weekend.
"So, continue telling me about today's report."
"Uh- She never made it to school. Her Mum and Step-Dad reported her missing after forgetting school was cancelled on Friday in prep for the long weekend and she was dressed in her uniform like she was going there.
Took her school backpack, some lunch and parents said some clothes are missing from her room."
"Rainbow hair?"
"Uh, no." He responds and Franny takes a long hard look at the picture the parents supplied. Pale, freckled skin, ginger, short ponytail, blue eyes.
Her eyes look dull and sad.
"So, have we got any leads? A sighting?"
"Uh, yeah. Was seen at a camping store on the outskirts that lead towards Highway 28. She bought some stuff, then no one saw her again. This was at 5:31 p.m."
"That's kinda late in the afternoon. I hope she's okay."
"Guess we'll find out if you find her."
"Wait, I have to go alone?"
"What, did you think I was coming with you?"
"N-no!"
"So, get on it already. Head to the mountain store and interview the owner and employees, search the surrounding area and maybe drive-up Highway 28, 29, 30 and 31, 32."
"Ugh, fine." She says, taking the report and heading to her car. Below the girl is a bunch of other missing teen reports, but they are now considered "cold cases" despite only being 2-6 months old all the way to a week.
• Anthony Mathers - Missing 5 months and 1 day
• Georgina Shultz - Missing 4 months and 9 days
• Shelly Gordan - Missing 3 months and 9 day
• Noah Rice - Missing 2 months and 9 days
• Katrina Anderson - Missing 2 months and 1 day
• Zuzu Cardwell - Missing 1 week and 1 day
If there is no real leads or developments, the cases just get shut really quick and we're told to move on.
It's... protocol, and it's wrong. So many more teens have being going missing more and more in the last three years.
Sneaking out past the border checkpoints is impossible so they still have to be in the country.
Either hiding well and turning 18 at the minimum or met with foul play. There are still some bad people out there despite how safe their country is that the president has worked to make it since he was elected.
Eradicating crime to 100% is impossible, but a reducement from 100% to 40% is a very good thing and then civilians making improper movements in a vehicle and so forth, small things which is to be expected.
When she makes it out to the mountain store, she's annoyed to see the report is wrong. This isn't a camping supply store, it's a gas station with a small camping section.
"Oh, thank god you're here, officer. We've been waiting eagerly." Says an old man, walking up to shake Franny's hand.
"I'm sorry?"
"We we're broken into late last night when we we're closed."
"Um, that's not what I'm here about. Did you call this in?"
"Yes, hours ago."
"I see, then I humbly apologize. We're coming back on duty after the long weekend with full staffing instead of half staffing.
I'll be happy to take your report. Was anything stolen? Any building damages?"
"Uh, window was smashed with a brick.
A few loose food items like bags of chips, popcorn, some bars, water are missing and one sleeping bag, one pair of size 7 flip flops, but other than that, nothing else."
"Do you have any cameras?"
"No."
"Security system?"
"Uh, broken."
"So, you have nothing else you can offer up to help solve who broke in and stole from you?"
"No..."
"Okay. Well, I'll file this and we'll be in contact."
"Okay."
"Wait, actually. Have you seen this girl? She is missing and was reported here around 5 before you closed yesterday." She asks, showing the missing person flyer.
"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I remember her. Very quiet, softly spoken when she did talk, bought some water, some food, a map, compass, sleeping bag and went on her way.
She didn't seem to have much money on her and headed up the mountain path along the road that way. With a boy. He points.
"A boy... Uh, thank you for your help. I'll drive up there and onwards and see if I spot anything or even her."
"Is she another runaway? You know, one of those rainbow haired teens running about all over our fine country, causing trouble. I didn't see her with any rainbow hair."
"I can't comment on that, sir. But off the books, she doesn't really give off the appearance of a free-spirited teenage rebel. I think this is a normal run-away case, thank god."
"Good girl then she is, keeping her nose clean."
"Uh, yes... Well, I should be going then." And Franny scurries back to her patrol car and drives off, up the mountain slope.
---
As Franny drives all the way up to Highway 31, she sees a young girl and a young boy walking on the side of the road and sighs.
Dirty clothes, back packs, both with rainbow hair. "Shit." She curses, preparing to turn on her sirens when a taxi floors it past her and she hits the siren, flooring it after the taxi.
The young girl and boy panic and dive into the bushes, alarmed by the taxi speeding past and the highway patrol car hitting the sirens.
"Shit, Anthony!"
"Right back at you, Kat!"
Franny drives for a few more meters before the taxi finally pulls over and she pulls her patrol car over beside him, gets out and walks up to his window, knocking on it.
A man slightly older than her rolls down the window.
"Do you know why I pulled you over this morning?"
"I was speeding."
"Yes, and the tags on your car also expired. This isn't going to look excellent; I'm required to inform the taxi company you drive for."
"I am the manager, just ticket and fine me, do what you have to do."
"Oh, I see... Can I see you're license and proof of registration, proof of business ownership?"
And he hands it over. "Aaron Lang?"
"Yes."
She spends a few minutes writing him a ticket and hands it to him. "Go slower next time, there's Teens out here even though they shouldn't be."
"I'm aware, you missed two back there."
"And you we're speeding. I don't care about them right now, you're the one who could have accidentally kill someone."
"Are we done?"
"Yes, but don't speed again. I don't want to pull you over again-" but then she trails off, eyes wandering to the empty backseat of the taxi, but it's not exactly empty. Three backpacks. A mint green backpack that appears to have been painted on - Ying and yang, other symbols, there is a blue backpack, and a purple backpack and a small collection of keychains she gifted her son is hanging off the blue backpack she also gifted him.
"Help me! Help me, please! Please, please! I don't want to die!"
She can't hear her, but she can hear mild thumping coming from the boot of the car. "Sir, pop your boot and step out of the car."
"Do you have a warrant?"
"No, but I have probable cause. Now step out of the car. Do not make me ask a 2nd time."
He scowls and climbs out. "Women."
She reaches in and grasps the keys from the ignition, removing them and marches him over to the boot, continuing to hear banging coming from inside, both unaware a black van with red trimming is quietly pulling up behind them, just out of sight, parking behind a sign.
"What's in your boot, Aaron?"
"Just junk, toys rattling about. I think a toy must have activated."
"Oh, yeah? Open it then. If you have nothing to hide, you'll open it." She says, holding out the keys.
"I have a bad back, bulging disc. You do it, if I bend down, I'll be stuck at an angle and you'll be calling me an ambulance."
"Oh my god, out of the freaking way." She huffs, shoving him aside, irritated and inserts the key.
"Help me!"
And the banging gets louder and she hears the voice this time, young and female.
Aaron behind her raises a gun he had hidden in his back pocket, aiming it right at Franny's head when the sound of a rock moving is heard behind Aaron and before he can look back, his reflexes slow as he does have a bad back, bulging disc.
Guess he wasn't lying about that, the person who also has a gun fires it, killing Aaron. Bullet clear through the forehead.
Franny's spins around, aiming hers and is shocked, staring at the man there.
"J-Julian?"
She hasn't seen him in over 25 years, his grownup considerably now. He was her childhood friend and that is a past she left behind long ago.
"He was going to kill you, Fran."
"Lower the gun!" She orders and he does, clicking the safety back into place so she lowers hers, doing the same.
Bending down, she places two fingers on Aaron's neck, no pulse present. This was a swift head shot.
"His dead."
"And you could have been dead if I didn't pass by when I did."
"I thank you for that, but are you aware, it's a crime for you to carry a gun? And you killed someone."
"You couldn't have shot in time; he would have killed you."
"That doesn't matter, it's legal for me to shoot to kill. If you're smart, you will get rid of that gun and leave.
Do not make me think of turning you in. The gun you have, uses the same bullets as mine. Which cop did you steal it from?"
"Not one you know of."
"Julian, get out of here."
"I'm scared!" Cries a voice, the boot being pushed open the rest of the way, revealing a crying girl with short a ginger ponytail, blue eyes and a freckled face in a dress with jeans and sneakers.
And then the putrid smells hits of the decomposing body beside her half in a bag, Julian covers his nose, trying to keep himself from puking and Franny quickly grasps the 14-year-old under her arms and pulls her out, taking a few steps back.
"K-Kate?"
She's cries hard and Franny can't take her eyes off her son's dead body. A tear slides down her cheek and then Kate's further screams and cries snap her out of it.
"I've got their backpacks." Says Julian, pulling them out of the backseat. His also holding the mint green one, but Franny gestures she doesn't know it so he drops the green one at his feet.
Kate's backpack color was in the report.
"Franny, entrust the girl over to me. I'll take her, you call this in and it'll be like this extra detail never happened." He says, throwing her sons backpack at her feet.
"No, I can't do that. I swore an oath to uphold the law."
"And we are both rebels, we're not allowed government jobs. You would have clearly falsified records to get your police officer job.
Come on, this isn't you."
"And I changed a long time ago, Julius. I also never falsified anything. You don't anything about me now. That girl you knew? I'm no longer her.
And I was never tried for anything, never caught unlike you. You got out of juvie at 18. I never falsified anything because there was no dark, bad or twisted history following me."
"But yours was sad. And the fact remains, hand the girl off to me so you can take care of this. That's your adopted son there, we all know you adopted. You're going to need to grieve.
Don't add more paperwork to your plate. Call just him in and you can go home early, take the rest of the day off.
You will never hear from me again, I promise."
"And how do I know you aren't stalking me?"
"Fran."
"It's Franny to you, and no. Because Kate here is actually a missing person.
"Dispatch, I've found the missing Teenager, Kate Bennson. I've shot and killed an Aaron Lang. He had her locked in the trunk of his car and there is a dead body too, my sons dead body."
It sets off her radio like crazy. "Franny!" Julian says. "Julian, last warning. Get out of here." She orders, grasping Kate by the arm, pulling her over her patrol car. "No, no, no!" Kate cries, but she gets in, not offering much resistance and Franny closes the back door, Kate tugging on it desperately from the inside.
Franny collects her sons backpack and Kate's too, placing them in the front seat, ignoring the mint green one. Julian leaves without another word, climbing back into his van and his gone. Ten minutes past and another highway patrol car pulls up.
When the scene is cleared, Franny climbs into her car and slowly turns the car around, prepared to drive back into the city.
"Kate Bennson."
The girl is quiet and staring at the photos inside of her car, blue tacked to the dash of her son.
"How did you and my son end up together in the trunk of that man's car?
I'm sorry you had to go through that and see that man killed. Don't mention that other man on scene, do you understand?"
She doesn't speak and stares numbly ahead. Franny shrugs and continues driving the car onwards, back into the city, unaware Julian is following her as she's deep in thought.200Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡahwKX9Foyf
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