CityScape Police Station NOW HIRING (Mature Content)

[Jacy Pane]

Though she was anything but innocent in those moments, her vulnerability became blindly obvious as soon as her back was pressed up against the bed. He had ignited her deepest desires, showed and made her feel things she never felt before, things she didn't deem possible or could imagine even in her wildest dreams. His touch alone set her skin on fire and brought her over the edge countless times in the long moments they spent together. Much to her surprise it wasn't just a night of easing sexual tension or stress, it was something much more than that, something she could only describe as passionate lovemaking. With each caress and every lap over her skin, she became putty in his hands. She could have even sworn she had cried out his name at some point. After all that, she was left panting, her whole body trembling ever so softly from the overload he caused to her senses. Though her mind was in a haze, her thoughts ran wild with things that made her nervous, some that even scared her a bit.

The whole point of a one night stand was to never see the person again and obviously this wouldn't be the case. It wasn't like Raven was some of the random guys she had gone home with, who used her body as a possession for a night. They were in her home, so it wasn't like she could just leave as soon as the bumping and grinding ended, like she would often do when she was younger, and she wasn't so cold that she would actually kick him out (not like she wanted to). He was someone she had known for years, a good friend turned secret lover, and at times, she thought, even more. She wanted him and she hated it. No. She had to stop herself from thinking that way. Nothing good could possibly come out of this. After all, she was his boss. The fantasy was nearly over and in the morning things would go back to the way they were. But still...she couldn't help herself. After all in the moments they spent together she had seen them as equals.

Her train of thought was broken once she heard his breath. She tried to calm her own raspy breathing as she lifted a hand to rest on her bare breasts and slowly turned her head to look at him. Despite her nagging thoughts in the back of her mind, her eyes lingered on Raven for a moment before she turned her hourglass figure on her side, so that she was facing him. He seemed to be off in his own thoughts and his expression seemed to carry a hint of worry, so Jacy reached her arm out and hooked it around his waist as she moved closer to press her body against his and rest her head on his chest, listening to his heart beat.

"I think you need to hit the shooting range. You handle women much better than you handle guns."

[The_Knights]

In the industrial sector of the city, one of Vance's factories was closing for the night, its manager and some two hundred employees still busy inside as they shut down the machines and prepared to go home for a well earned rest. Vance Home Supplies was one of the largest sellers of furniture and appliances in the city, making millions of dollars in profits every year, one of the main avenues of legal money he made in Cityscape.

The manager, Mr Hanson, turned off his computer and moved to the door, gathering jacket and briefcase on his way before reaching out for the light switch. He noticed the faint odour in the air as his fingers flicked the light off.

Vance Home supplies exploded.

The building was not so much destroyed as disintegrated, fragments of burning metal scattering in all directions and heavily damaging the surrounding factories. The blast shook the city like a thunderclap, a gigantic tower of smoke climbing up into the sky as the industrial sector burned...

[PrincessLUV]

Tia was bouncing back, digging through the food Lynn ordered her as Alice went on her personal mission. The waitress brought Lynn a water with cucumber and she insisted that she was covering all four of them no matter what anyone said.

"You think he's coming back," said the quickly sobering female. Lynn shrugged and looked across the bar at all the chattering people. She flipped back her hair a bit, revealing her neck her phone vibrated, sending an annoying feeling to her leg. Finally she yanked it out of her handbag, listening as Tia went on to sing Piano Man.

"What?!" She said in a hushed voice as the information was relayed. One of her informants was near the scene enough to know something was wrong. The others were coming back to the table. Being a detective she was on call 24 unlike members of the swat and she was unsure Alice would join. She stood, indicating she was in a hurry.

"I'm sorry I have to go. There's been an explosion in the the industrial sector...Vance home supplies.." She looked at the others knowingly then to Sophia "Duty calls."

Tia watched as Lynn rushed off, knowing she would take the car. She looked at the others.

"How much would it suck to run around like she does? Are you guys married to the job like that?...You're not on shift are you?"

[Moonlit Memories]

"I'm sorry I have to go. There's been an explosion in the the industrial sector...Vance home Duty calls."

"W-wait!" Alice called out as her eyes widened considerably. "The Chief and Wolshire said they were going to do a quick stop by to Vance Industries when I last saw them. It could be related!" Already any thought of finishing their easy night off was ruined. "I'm going to give Wolshire a call, he'll want to know what's up.!" Or maybe it was just the sudden need to put some space between her and Nick. Whatever it was, Lynn was right. Duty called, and by all hells she was going to answer it! "I'll be right back!" She called over a shoulder.

Alice only barely caught Tia's question as she grabbed up her purse and started after the other woman; her fingers were already rutting around the bag for her own phone as he heeled feet clicked loudly across the floor. She was sure Raven would want to know something was up.

~*~

"I think you need to hit the shooting range. You handle women much better than you handle guns."

Raven's worry ebbed at those words and he revelled in the feel of Jacy's body pressed along side his own. His eyes shifted to her and a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Funny, I'm usually told I'm too trigger happy when I handle women," he joked. The warmth of her skin, the feeling of her breath as she spoke, it was all oddly comforting.

"Y'know, this is going to make work difficult," he reasoned after several comfortably moments of silence passed between them. Lazily his fingers lifted andd combed through throse golden strands. They almost seemed to glow against his darker skin. Then the sound of LMFAO 'I'm Sexy and I know It' drifted into the room from the hall. His phone rang loudly from where it was tucked in his jacket pockets, back in the living room.

He groaned in disapproval. Why was Alice calling him this late?

"Alice," he explained. She had put the infamous song as her own personal ring tone on his phone. He hadn't changed it simply because, well, it just fit the chambion so well! She usually did not call this late now that he thought about it. "I should see what she's callin' for."

With that in mind he reluctantly began to detach himself from Jacy's side and climbed out of the bed to retrieve his phone. He didn't bother with clothes for there was no reason to when Jacy was the only occupant of her home and had already seen what all he had to offer.

[Axion]

As soon as the phones started ringing, Nick went to the bar and paid the tab. His phone made a loud, simple 'beep beep' sound, alerting Nick he was being called. He picked up his phone, turning his back to the others.

"Boss... Yeah... Alright... Now? Sure, got nothing better to do... Yeah I can be there now... Alright, ETA 5 minutes. No I wasn't doing anything important..."

He picked up his helmet, running past the women and to his bike. He nudged Alice as he passed her, mounting his bike and putting the key in the ignition. He turned the key, the engine roaring to life as he revved the engine. It was probably just as well that the evening was disrupted, Alice didn't seem her normal self and he was pretty sure it was due to him flirting with her. He opted it would be best to give her space and let her talk to him first. He flicked his visor down, taking off down the street and heading back toward the station.

[Jacy Pane]

A humored hum rumbled in the back of her throat as she smiled against him, slightly lifting her chin to look at him as he spoke about work.

"...Yeah..."

The tone in her voice carried a tiny hint of sadness and came barely above a whisper, but the feel of his fingers running through her hair began to soothe away her fears about what was to come in only a few short hours. It was inevitable for them to return to reality, but it was nice being able to get lost in what little moments they had left. At the same time, she knew they needed to talk about what had happened between them, especially since they didn't before they had gotten themselves in this mess. If nothing else, then to clear her own confusion about it and knowing her, if she didn't say something now, then she probably wouldn't say anything at all.

"So about thi--"

Her words were abruptly interrupted by the ringtone she heard coming from the living room, forcing her eyes to shift towards the direction of the doorway. Initially she was left bewildered; she knew he was a flirt, but never expected him to get a booty call at this hour. She felt silly for even questioning, but aside from rumors or what she saw for herself, she never kept herself up to date when it came to the others' 'extracurricular activities'. It wasn't until he had explained to her that it was Alice that she shunned the other possibilities floating in her head.

She moved just as she felt his body shift, then watched in silence as he walked away. Not even a second later she heard her own phone rattling against the glass surface of the coffee table. A frown furrowed her features as she stared at the doorway, knowing that in her line of work, two people getting a call at the same time was hardly a coincidence, especially at this time of night. She quickly slid off the bed and made her way through the house until she stood near the table. In seconds she picked up her phone and looked at the caller, seeing the station's number staring back at her. She let the phone vibrate in her hand as she moved back into the bedroom, where she answered,

"What's happened?"

Her fingers clenched around the phone as one of the night officers on duty explained what had happened only mere minutes prior, naming the factory, Vance Home Supplies. There was no way this was a simple coincidence and she was determined to find out just what was going on, making a mental note to visit Diego Vance the next morning with or without backup. She ran her free hand through her hair as she listened intently on each word; she could feel herself starting to turn her work mode back on, leaving behind the prior events prematurely.

"I'll head over to the factory now..."

With that she hung up and hurriedly began throwing each article of her clothing back on. Her body and the air around her still lingered with her and Raven's scent, a panging reminder of what had taken place. The others would no doubt be too engrossed in the investigation to notice the little details, or so she hoped. She was more concerned about the chambion. But this was no time to panic.

Once she was dressed she grabbed Raven's trail of clothes, then rushed back into the living room and handed them to him as she strapped all of her weapons in their rightful places. She then stood at the front door as she stared at Raven, ready to follow him to his vehicle.

[The_Knights]

The sleek back limousine pulled up a short distance from the scene, several trucks worth of firefighters now trying to contain the blaze threatening to engulf the industrial sector. Rolling down his window, Vance stared out at the wreckage of his former business, noting the devastation caused by the blast. The whole building had been obliterated, the wreckage scattered across the block in all directions. Reporters were already present, a tv truck sitting at a safe distance nearby. Straightening his jacket, Vance stepped out of the car and flipped open his cell phone.

"I need the footage; who was in there, what they did. Find them, now."

Closing the phone, he glanced up to see reporters approaching eagerly, already calling out for a statement from the billionaire. Putting on his best "grave sadness" face, he went to meet them.

[Moonlit Memories]

Alice looked up as Nick brushed passed her and she only managed a small wave of her hand before the phone answered.

~*~

"Alice what are you calling so late for?" Raven muttered. Not two seconds later Jacy's own phone was ringing off to the side where she had left it. He glanced at it just as the woman entered the room. For a moment his mind left him as she scooped up her phone in all her naked glory, only to be brought back by Alice's words.

"Vance home supplies just got nuked, thought you might want a heads up. Should I head over?"

"No," Raven replied. He was already moving, scooping up his tank from where it laid crumpled on the phone. "I'm on my way there, just enjoy your night off. I'll let you know what happens in the morning."

Bare feet brought him back to the bed room where he hastily tugged on his jeans. He was glad, for the moment, that he usually went commando since it definitely cut back on time it took to dress. He moved around Jacy, working between her own hurried movements, as if this was something they had done often. When the woman, now chief, turned to await him, it was only for a few seconds as he shouldered his chest holsters and grabbed his coat.

"Let's go," he announced in an almost anticipatory tone. They were out and in his car seconds later. The portable light was slapped onto the roof and the built in siren flipped on the minute they hit the main road. They were speeding off pushing the boundaries of the speeds that were even allowed during a car chase.

Twenty minutes later, Raven was pulling up to the still flaming building just between a black limo swarming with reporters and one of the firetrucks that were working to put out the flames. A cluster of cop cars were off to the side providing crowd control and helping transport any unfortunate souls that happen to get caught in the backlash of the explosion. There were only two, employees that had stopped to chat in the parking lot before heading home for the night and the injuries were only a few scrap and bruises.

If there were any fatalities, they had not been found yet, and probably wouldn't be until the flames died.

~*~

Alice sighed as she hung up the phone and slowly stepped back into the bar. Nick had taken off with her duffle bag that was still tucked into his saddle bag, but luckily her keys, purse, and cards were on her.

"Hey, Tia, let's call it a night huh? I'll split a taxi with ya," she called when she returned to the table.

[Axion]

Nick had just walked in the station when his boss started yelling something about him gearing up and going solo to a burning building, raising an eyebrow as he heard the address. He thought about it for a second and looked to his boss, who simply nodded to answer his unasked question. Nick took off running to the locker room, once again donning his SWAT uniform. Once he was geared up, he took one of the smaller SWAT trucks, stocking it with what he thought he would need. Once the truck was stocked up, he took off to the building, seeing the chief there with Raven as he exited the truck. He walked over to the chief, standing off to her left.

"Chief... boss said you wanted a SWAT officer on hand? Guessing it has to do with who this building belongs to... Doubt he's gonna believe we DIDN'T do this... This just made this war more real... didn't it?"

Nick shot his eyes around the area, taking in the details. He then spotted Vance coming out of his limo, narrowing his eyes slightly. Every time he saw the man, Nick had the almost uncontrollable urge to put one right between his eyes. He took a deep breath, speaking softly to Raven and the Chief.

"Speaking of the bast... err nicely dressed, upstanding businessman... coming up on your 5 o'clock...."

[Jacy Pane]

As Raven drove to the location, Jacy made sure to call the SWAT leader to send someone onto location and once they finally arrived on scene, she could see the obvious devastation the explosion had left behind, her eyes wandering towards the limousine, before focusing on the burning flames. She stepped closer towards it, thoughts of what could have taken place rushing to her mind. Investigating rape and homicide were her fortes--arson had never been her strong point, but she knew someone who reveled in it. Calling that person wouldn't be protocol though, especially considering that person didn't work for the police force. Once she heard Valor beside her, she turned her eyes on him, then back at the building as she replied,

"Probably, but we still don't have anything to convict him."

Jacy remained silent for a moment as she gazed up at the scorching flames. From where she stood, she could feel the heat resonating from whatever was left. She turned her head to look at those that had arrived at the scene: reporters, officers, victims, and Vance. Her eyes lingered on him as she watched him from afar, examining his face and listening to his statement. It seemed all too convenient that only hours after they had questioned him, this happened. Had he not arrived here, he would no doubt seem like a prime suspect. After all, if she had been in his shoes, she would be on the scene as well, but there was a big difference between them. He was portraying to be the victim to the media and public, while she would shun them away. This of course, did not make him guilty, but it seemed he was always two steps ahead of the game and the media would soon turn their eyes on those that claimed to protect and serve for the answers to their questions.

"Valor, make sure a riot doesn't break out. Keep the citizens under control and try to push them back if you can."

There were so many of her own questions left unanswered. Everything had nearly been destroyed, her career soon to follow if she didn't start giving legitimate answers to the council. Her eyes shifted to a few victims being hauled off to the hospital. She glanced up at Raven, then said,

"Rav--Wolshire...we should go talk to the man of the hour."

She turned her head away from him to look at Vance once more as she proceeded to move closer towards the crowd, standing towards the back as she locked her eyes on his face, making sure she was in sight of him, but remaining far enough away from the press to avoid being questioned about the investigation.

[The_Knights]

Vance saw them arrive as he completed his interview; the two officers from earlier, and a young SWAT officer whose face was etched with loathing as their eyes met, before turning and muttering something angrily to the police chief. The woman turned and spotted Vance, moving closer whilst keeping herself out of range of the reporters. Vance swept towards her, seeing the expression on her face which indicated that he was in for a long night.

"Jacy Pane, we meet again," he said by way of greeting, nodding at the retreating SWAT kid over her shoulder, "You might want to chain up your attack dog; I could feel his hatred halfway down the street."

He glanced up at the burning building, feeling a pang of genuine grief for the amount of lives lost in the explosion. The Fire Chief was claiming a gas explosion, but Vance knew that in this city, it was never that simple. Someone had just destroyed one of his businesses - without his permission - and over two hundred people were now dead as a result. When he found the one responsible...

"This is terrible, truly," he said gravely to the officers, "So many dead; there would have been around two hundred working at this time of night...I cannot explain how this could have happened..."

His cell phone rang, and he snatched it up immediately, apologising to Jacy and Raven. It was his secretary.

"We have the footage. One of your former employees opened a gas main in the building; all it took was a spark. I have name and address."

"Get Sebastien to deal with it," he said, as if being troubled with an insignificant matter, "Call me back later." Hanging up, he turned back to Jacy.

"Forgive me," he apologised, "A business matter; it can wait. Can I help you with anything now?"

[Jacy Pane]

"Jacy Pane, we meet again,"

Her eyes narrowed in response as she crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him. When they first met she made sure not to introduce herself; either the media had released her name or he had done his homework, and either way she didn't like it. She remained silent as she listened to his every word, softly shaking her head as he spoke about Nick. Briefly, she glanced up at Raven, then returned her attention to Vance, deciding not to say anything for the moment. Jacy remained still as she further examined his features, watching them change, hearing the tone in his voice shift. Soon his phone rang and she silently observed as he picked it up, hanging on his every word, wishing she had heard the conversation on the other line.

"A business matter; it can wait. Can I help you with anything now?"

"Recently, it seems your name keeps popping up. I want to know why."

She shifted her weight, still suspecting he was somehow involved despite his words and the expression on his face.

[The_Knights]

Vance scowled at Jacy as she asked her question, frustrated by her apparent conviction that he had been the one to destroy the building.

"I employ a lot of people, Officer," he said slowly, "I run multiple businesses throughout the city; I have a hand in a lot of projects right now. Construction, machinery, transport...oddly enough, it is hard to go somewhere in Cityscape without my name cropping up."

He shook his head in exasperation, turning back to the burning building.

"I think you have more important things to deal with right now than pursuing some ridiculous vendetta," he insisted, "Does being informed of the deaths of hundreds of my employees and coming to the scene to make a statement make me a criminal?"

His cell rang again, his secretary calling him back.

"Sebastien is on his way to the address, we'll have him soon."

"Excellent work, I'll be there shortly," he replied, turning back to the officers as he hung up, "My secretary; she pulled up the CCTV of the building, and found what appears to be an intruder sabotaging the gas systems. I will be returning to the tower, if you would care to join me?"

[Axion]

Nick had been organizing the other officers on the scene, managing to help push back the line of onlookers without and use of force. All it took was saying loud enough that there was a possibility of a secondary explosion, and the need to push back the line twenty-five more feet. Once they heard that, they were all too happy to allow them to push back the line. He caught sight of the Chief talking to Vance, gritting his teeth. He hated the fact that everyone knew Vance was a criminal, but due to lack of proof they could do nothing about it. He was in mid thought when he realized that he had some of Alice's things in his bike, quickly sending her a text that he would drop them off once his assignment to the Chief was over. He knew that she was one of few people who understood that when the Chief has someone tell you to go somewhere, you RUN! He pressed the button on his radio, knowing the Chief would have her ear piece in to hear his message.

"Chief, I was able to get the people to willingly move themselves back another twenty-five feet. News of someone sabotage seems to be spreading throughout the crowd, they are dispersing rather rapidly... Do you still need me here? I see you are busy with Vance, squelch the radio once for yes and twice for no as to not tip him off..."

[Moonlit Memories]

Obediently, and without complaint, Raven set off to the task he was assigned. He talked to each victim skimming as much information as he could from them. One mentioned something about a manager they were waiting on that never made it out, but aside from that none really seemed to know anything. A few words from a couple of the firefighters let him know that the explossion was gas related, probably a pipe or something like that. Whether or not it was sabotage, as rumors were saying, was still up in the air however a history of Vance's companies and who he employed as builders would clear that up. If the construction company had a history of bad habits, then it would probably be ruled as a terrible accident, if not then it would be investigated further.

As Raven worked, scratching down notes on the water resistant paper with equally resistant pen. Every now and then he'd glance to Vance or towards the chief as they worked.

~*~

After helping Tia into a taxi and into her appartment, Alice returned to her own little studio appartment on the north side of the city. She had just slipped into her door when she recieved Nick's message. She smiled inwardly and quickly sent back a response.

'Take ur time. B-careful. - Alice'