Moonlight Murders

	It was a rainy day in the city, something in which which has been a trend for the past week. Dark clouds hung overhead, letting Gods piss rain down on the city like a dog marking its territory. Buildings stood strong and proud across the large cityscape. Large puddles began to form on the low cobblestone streets; a battleground for the people walking on the side walks. Street lamps flickered on a off, a demonstration of the bad condition this city's in. Store lights reflected off the wet ground. Anyone that was still open was probably housing refugee's trying to wait the rain out. Like that'd happen.
	A car roared down the street, splashing two young dames trying to get into a diner without getting wet. It was survival of the fittest out there. The girls screamed and swore, flipping the bird at the car turning down the street. Like they'd care. They were trying to get out of the rain too. Anyone and everyone knows driving in the rain was suicide. Especially at these hours. Quarter to ten.
	Of course, quarter to ten wouldn't have been that bad. If you weren't in this city. Steelwater. Appropriate name for a city that seems to get rain for months on certain days. Anyone would chalk up the rain as a dimwitted buffoon decided to piss off a Ryu for kicks. But there's no Ryu in this city. Monsters were a dime a dozen here, and for good reason. Formally occupied city to the Paladins, racist mayor who runs the city with an iron fist, you name it. They wouldn't even want to be near this place unless they have a deathwish. Which, in a city such as this, everyone does.
	Ten minutes to ten. The diner was remotely quiet, save for its two dames talking to the servers at the front for a change of clothes. Two other men were at the diner, one watching the clock while the other gazing out the window. Anyone who's been to this diner could've told you who they were. Anyone who looked at them could've guessed.
	Trench coats.
	Hats.
	Half eaten doughnuts.
	"You know, I've been thinking of moving out of this city." One of them spoke up, gazing down at his doughnut. The man adjusted his dark coat.
	"Really?" The other watched the second hand reach the six.
	"Yeah. Place's getting toxic, and the misses is thinking of going up north." The man took a bite out of his glazed doughnut. Stale. Cold. Just the way he likes it.
	"To Canada?" The other man beckoned one of the waitresses with a hand. The girl nodded and took off to the coffee maker.
	"You ever been there?" The doughnut was finished. "Heard the winters are a thing to behold."
	"They are." The waitress came back with a fresh cup of coffee. Black. No sugar. "Dave's from there."
	"Maybe I can ask him for some pointers." The other man chuckled. "What to avoid and how to survive."
	"He said not to go north." The man in black gave him a look. "As in don't go too north of Canada. Place's crawling with wolves and other monsters."
	"Oh good." The other man said. "If I didn't already deal with that here."
	Five minutes to.
	"You know, Dave's really nice." The other cop took a sip out of his coffee. Bitter. Just the way he likes it. "Do you think everyone from Canada's nice?"
	"They like pancakes." The man took another sip. "You'll be fine." The other man chuckled and went back to gazing out the window. The scenery hasn't changed a bit. Dark skies, rain falling, cars rushing to get home.
	The sudden sound of a phone startled the diner, all except for the coffee drinker. He dug into his pockets and took out a small handheld. With a click, he held it to his ear.
	"Max." The man paused. "On our way." the man pressed the hang up button and got up, causing his partner to follow suite.
	"Chief?"
	"He wants everyone back at HQ." Max placed a twenty on the table with some change.
	"This should be good." The two man walked towards the exit, placing their hats on their heads. Max looked back at the clock and frowned.
	Ten o'clock.

	"Y'all remember the Manticore case, right?" A big burly man stood in front of a whiteboard. His bushy beard matched his large frame. His clothes were visibly straining to keep his frame together. His suspenders pulled on his pants, visibly dying from being stretched out. The man stood in front of a large group of men, all of who sat on small metal chairs as they read the whiteboard.
	"Bunch of drug overdoses, right?" One of the men spoke up. He gave off the aurora of a rookie. "Blood tests suggest they're taking Manticore venom to 'increase their sex drive', but end up getting addicted to it and taking so much they end up dying to shock."
	"That's right." Two men entered the large room, coats drenched in rain. "Pleasure you can join us, Cole. Max."
	"That's this all about, Chief?"
	"For months, these deaths have been surfacing all over. We've went over the Mayors files and there's no record of any Manticore's in this city."
	"Which means we've got a bunch of Manticores somewhere in the city." Max said, leaning against the back wall.
	"Were it so easy." The Chief said. He walked to the back of the whiteboard, grabbing something. "We had one of our undercover cops go around the Red Light district -one of the many- and got this." The police chief held up a jar filled with spikes in a green liquid. "Says the guy he got it from calls in Mojo Manticore."
	"Creative name." Cole chuckled.
	"So there's a drug ring." Max said.
	"Not only that, look." The chief pointed at the jar. "Manticores only grow five spikes on their tails. This jar has twenty. That's four Manticores right there, and according to our spy, they're selling them in bulk."
	"So they must be getting it from a large group of Manticores."
	"While we were looking around the Mayors records, we found one thing." The mayor took out a large file. "Two large sixteen wheelers came in here with heavy loads, under the guise of a milk truck going to the grocery store to stalk up."
	"But they never went to the store."
	"No store ever reported any trucks of that size hitting their stores."
	"So they smuggled them in." Max hissed.
	"Bingo." The chief said. "But that ain't the end of it. The guys in the science wing went through some tests and came up with some shocking stuff." The chief flipped over the whiteboard. "The stuff's fresh. As in, these are the spikes of a Manticore who just got 'em." Murmurs began in the small room.
	"So what you're saying Cheif, and correct me if I'm wrong." Max began. "A local drug lord smuggled in a large bulk of Manticores into the city, young ones at that, and are using their spikes for profit?"
	"That's right." More murmurs began. Cole held his face in his hands. "That's the reason why people are dying to the stuff. Young Manticore venom doesn't have much to it, causing you to have to take multiple. But a jar of the stuff isn't just filled with young Manticore spikes, but also older ones as well. Guy goes for another, ends up overdosing, dead on the ground."
	"This city." Cole mumbled.
	"Is there any good news to this?" Max said. The room began to grow quiet as a smile grew on the chief's old face.
	"We know where it is."

	Cars hissed down the rainy streets, splashing the side walks with water. The rain hasn't stopped once. The large convoy of black vehicles sped down the streets like a man running from a Wurm. Like that'd stop it. No sires, no nothing. Just the hum of engines burning and wheels on stone. Cole gazed out the window, watching the city fly past him. Max kept his eyes on the road as he followed the convoy. Cole gazed up at a small crack of light rippling through the clouds. The day just turn to worse. Always at ten. The young man scratched his five o'clock shadow and looked down at the gun between his feet. A Thompson Submachine gun. TSG as Cole calls it. Tommy Gun as everyone else called it.
	"Rain's picking up." Cole said with a sigh. "I don't like it."
	"Chief." Max said, grabbing the radio and bringing it to his mouth. "The hell are we going?"
	"Old abandoned building south of the city." Static was mixed in with the chief's voice. "Spy on the inside'll meet us there. says that's where we'll get the drug bust."
	"What's the plan, Chief?" someone said on the intercom.
	"Police station down south is in on it." The chief said. "We go in, we bust the place. Get as less casualties as you can. The more the arrests, the better." There was a pause. "Max, I want you and Cole to find the young Manticores. Lead them to the back, that's where the other station will meet you up with some trucks."
	"Chief-"
	"I know you don't like monsters, Max." the chief said. "But just do it. Cole, make sure he comes out clean.'
	"Got it, chief." Cole said. although the police chief wasn't there, Cole gave the radio a thumbs up.
	"Lets keep this clean, boys. No casualties. We all make it out alive and I'll treat you all to dinner at Bob's."
	"Hopefully the milk doesn't taste weird like it did last time." A grizzled voice responded. The radio was soon filled with chuckles and laughs.

	The cars finally reached their destination; an old abandoned building. The aged building stood three stories up. Windows were barred and covered with plywood. May it be from the construction crew or from the drug dealers you'll never know. The cars slowly rolled towards the building, stopping right at the parking. A flash of lightning cracked behind the building. thunder soon followed suite, shaking the ground like a meteor just hit. Max and Cole soon exited their car, followed by the rest of the police force. The rain never gave up once.
	The chief silently motioned the two to the back of the building while the rest of the force converged on the building. Max and Cole nodded and lightly walked to the side of the building, guns in hand. Max held a .44 DA revolver. Cole had both hands on his Tommy Gun. The two hugged the wall, slowly approaching a side door. Max gazed back at Cole, who nodded. The deputy ran to the other side of the door and nodded at Max, who nodded back. With a sigh, Max quickly grabbed the door handle and swung it open. Cole leapt to action, holding his gun at his hip. The duo were met with nothing. With a smile, Cole slowly walked inside, followed by Max. Another flash of lightning went off.
	The two were met with a long wooden hall. Cole and Max quickly went back to back, one pointing down the right while the other left. It was quiet, save for the sounds of footsteps from above. Doors lined the inner wall, a sign of the buildings one use as a hotel. Cole took a step, and stopped. the soft creaking of wood was bad news. Max noticed it too, and took a step, just to be met with the same sound. The floor was too old that any weight was physically killing it. Max looked around, they couldn't stand here for long. His eyes soon stopped at a small sign. The stairs.
	Max nodded his head to the right, and Cole nodded. Soon the two were slowly walking down the hall, their guns and eyes scanning every nook. Every sound made the two jump. The roar of the wind outside couldn't even drown out the sounds of footsteps coming from all sides. They were surrounded They were in enemy territory. And, by the sound of no gunshots, the drug dealers didn't know if anyone but them were inside. Max quickly held up his hand, stopping Cole in his tracks. A bright light shone from behind a door, the only light in the dark hall. The sounds of cheering could be head coming from within. Max reached into his jacket and crouched down. He took out a small mirror and held it diagonally from the small groove under the door.
	Three men were standing around a big busted Succubus. The demon girl bit her lip as one walked up to her and smothered his face in the girls big bust. The rest cheered as the man did it until he almost passed out. It seemed to be a game. Whoever could last the longest gets to do the demon. Max narrowed his eyes. Judging by how soaked the demon girl was, it seemed it wouldn't matter in the end.
	Max pulled away the mirror and looked back at Cole. He did three motions; three fingers, one finger and two hands in the form of the letter D. Cole nodded. The two quietly went around the door, moving only when there was a cheer. Soon, the duo made it around without and gunfire. Max looked at his watch. Quarter to 11. The main group should be moving in. A five minute start was fine.
	The two finally made it to their destination. The stairs. Max looked at the set that went up while Cole looked down. The man scratched his shave and looked to Cole, who pointed down. With a nod, Max and Cole slowly began the descent to the basement. It was obvious they would put them in the basement. And the man from the inside said there was always a lot of activity when it came to the stairs going down. Max and Cole could see that. Mud and wet bootprints lead down more than they saw the rest of the building on the ground floor. The duo soon stopped at the door that lead to the basement. Max and Cole stood on each side of the door, their backs on the cold stone wall. Cole quickly checked his magazine. Full right to the brim. With a nod, Max opened the door.
	The basement was dark, with only the light from faintly lit lamps overhead. The creepy flicker of some of the lights set the atmosphere in. Spiderwebs adorned every corner an every wall. If you didn't know any better, you'd think no one was down here. But the cries of young ones said otherwise. Max didn't like it. Cole didn't like it. The feeling of dread and despair hung in the thick air like cigarette smoke. The duo quietly followed the sounds of sobbing. Although they weren't on wood any more, footsteps could echo in this stone area and sound like a grenade going off. Max didn't want to sound like a grenade. Cole didn't want to sound like a grenade, though his weapon of choice said otherwise. Chief said to keep it clean and quiet, in case anything goes wrong.
	The duo was met with a three way, unusual for a basement. Max hugged the right of the wall while Cole jogged to the left. They both peered around their respective halls, seeing nothing. With a nod, the two split up. Cole never liked going alone, as evidence to his expression. But they had ground to cover.
	Max Walked around the corner, gun in hand. The sobs were getting louder. He paused when he heard another set of footprints. he gazed forward to see a man with his back facing Max walking down the hall. The man was dressed in baggy jeans and a sleeveless shirt. He patrolled the hall, his head facing the right looking at what seemed to be a large cell. Max looked over to see what he's been looking for. The Cell seemed to stretch the whole way down to the end of the hall. But the size wasn't what made him narrow his eyes. It was what was within the cell.
	Manticores. Bruised and battered to hell. Some had their wings terribly cut off, as evidence to the crimson bandages on them. Others had their claws cut or completely removed. Although Max didn't like the scene of young kids and teens getting abused, even though he's seen it many times, he understood. All they needed was the spikes. they didn't care for the condition of the creature, just the venom. As long as the tail was fine and the Manticore was still alive to create more, the body meant nothing.
	Max slowly began to walk towards the man. He placed a finger on his lips as he passed the cell. Although he hated monsters, he knew the faces all too well. young Manticore faces seemed to have been filled with hope as he passed, but the old ones covered their mouths before they could speak. The guard was oblivious, even though he began to swing around the keys on his finger. Max never liked taunting. he never liked scum either. He couldn't shoot, he didn't want to scare the kids. Not if they've already been messed up. Plus, he needed to keep quiet. There was only one thing to do.
	A quick whip of the pistol in the back of the head, and the guard was down. The sound of the body hitting the ground would've been bad, if it weren't for the fact that Max heard another fall just down the hall behind him. Cole moved at the same pace. Max held a finger to his lips as he took the keys. He reached into his pocket and took out a set of handcuffs. Two clicks and the guard was locked. The police man looked up to see all the Manticores watching him. A young Mointed to its left, causing Max to follow its direction. A large door.
	Max jogged over to the door, his pistol holstered and his hands fiddling with the keys. He looked at the keys then at the lock, before picking one and placing it into the hole. Wrong. He groaned and tried another. Wrong. Why this had many different keys was beyond him. Before he tried another key, a gunshot went off. Soon, more were followed as the sounds of footsteps from above got louder. Max shrugged.

	"I guess we're going loud." Max said. he tried another key and groaned. "Why is there so many damn keys?"
	"The gold one." A voice whispered. Max looked into the cell to see a young Manticore looking up at him. It was probably the most unharmed of the massive group. "I-It's the gold one." Max looked at the ring and picked out the gold one. He placed it in the large door and turned. A click was what responded back.
	"Lifesaver." Max smirked. He slowly opened the massive door, ignoring the loud screeching it made. it didn't matter since guns were going off in the background. "Now come one, I'm getting you all out of here." The police officer picked up the young Manticore in his arms. It's always the young ones that magically trip in escape situations. "Grab any of the young ones and carry the wounded. We're getting out of here."
	The Manticores didn't protest in the slightest. They all quickly followed behind Max, following him like a group of lost puppies. A hundred lost puppies. Max quickly began to jog, reaching for his gun. He could see Cole in the distance, being followed by a large group of injured Manticores from behind. The duo soon met in the middle, their guns in hand.
	"You heard that, right?" Cole said. More gunshots went off from above. The sound of bodies hitting the ground answered Cole's question.
	"We can't join the fire fight, Cole. Too much civilians." Max didn't like calling them civilians. "Top priority's getting all of these kids, teens, and adults out of here. No casualties." Cole sighed.
	"You're the boss." Cole said. The two were about to run down the hall to the stairs when the door swung open. They quickly hid behind each corner, their backs against the wall. They held the Manticores behind them as they peered over. A small group of thugs, five total. Max looked over to Cole, who nodded. with a sigh, he placed the young Manticore on the ground and motioned for her to cover their ears. He looked back at the hundred Manticores and did the same, which they all followed suit. One of the thugs barked an order as they rushed to where Max and Cole were. With a nod, they sprung to action.
	Max went around the corner, magnum pointed at the first man in his sights. The thug didn't have much time to react as Max shot two times in the chest, right in the heart. The less blood the better. He quickly fired another shot at another thug, hitting him right in the shoulder to divert the shot that would've hit Max. Cole rebounded around the corner and fired widely, cutting down the other three in a spray of blood. The last man fell to his knees, blood gushing out of them like a fountain. he held his shoulder in pain, the hot lead burning his insides. A quick whip to the cranium, and he was down. Cole and Max reloaded, beckoning the Manticores to follow.
	"Cover the young ones eyes as they pass." Max ordered. Not that it mattered.
	"What happened to no deaths?" Cole said with a smirk. Max said nothing. It was either them or him. He was about to walk when he looked back at Cole. He was lagging behind. He was hurt.
	"You're bleeding." Max said, a hint of surprise in his voice. Cole looked at where he got hit. A rip in his jacket arm, soaked with blood. He grinned.
	"Just a flesh wound." Cole chuckled. It sounded strained. Max was about to reach into his jacket when the door was kicked open. He spun around and shot off two rounds, Cole following suite. The attacker fell to the ground with a thud. "Worry about me later, we've got other things to worry about." He tore a piece of his cloth jacket off and tightly wrapped it around his arm.
	The duo jogged down the hall and to the door. They peeked around the corner just to quickly retract back as a spray of bullets whizzed past. The Manticores screamed as they narrowly avoided the hail of lead.
	"Bunch a filthy Cops!" The thug growled. "Hey! They're stealing our shi-!" his voice was replaced with a gargle. Max' gun smoked as it was pointed at the man's neck. Which now housed a small hole. Blood gushed out as the man fell to his knees, clutching his neck to stop the blood. But to no avail. Before long, the thug keeled forward, falling head-first down the stairs. With a sigh, Max and Cole advanced up the stairs, followed by the 200 Manticores. They never looked once at the body. Good for them.
	Max and Cole quickly went back to back as they reached the hall. It was not point trying to arrest anyone at this point. Max shot off another three rounds at two thugs on his side. Cole sprayed with his Tommy gun. Bodies fell to the floor. Total: five.
	"You lead the pack, I'll cover the rear." Cole said. Max nodded and jogged past him, followed by the Manticores. Cole watched the young Manticores run by and wiped away the sweat on his brow. "Jesus, any more and we have a small town's population." Max jogged forward, the little Manticore in one of his arms. She hasn't said nothing nor seen anything. Good.
	The creaking of wood made Max stop. Even though gunshots were going off left and right, Max didn't like it. And his pause was good intuition as a body fell down from the ceiling, hitting the ground in front of him. Dust and whatever else rose, causing Max to fan his face. He gazed up to see the Chief looking down, a smoking pump action shotgun in hand.
	"Floor's weaker than a poor man meeting an Ushi Oni." The chief joked. He looked at Max and frowned. "That all you got?"
	"Contact Blake and the rest of south's station to bring in more trucks. Two won't do."
	"How many were down there?" Max looked behind him, then back as the Chief.
	"Two hundred. Roughly. Including children and wounded." The Chief's jaw almost dropped.
	"I'm getting too damn old for this." The chief reached into his pocket, beckoning two other police officers to move on ahead. "Just make sure you get them all out of there in one peace. I'll tell Bill to roll in the medics." Max nodded and continued on, followed by his Manticore armada. "Too damn old for this."
	Max continued on, passing the room where he saw the succubus in. Other from the unconscious thugs on the ground, she was nowhere to be found. The officer quickly paused at the double doors to the side. He quickly kicked them open, meeting the lights of large police trucks. Gunshots roared from behind as Cole began to open fire at a group of thugs charging from behind. Max pointed at the trucks and told the Manticores to go.
	"Head for the trucks, they'll get you out of here." the Manticores nodded and ran in the rain towards the trucks. Blake could be seen waving them in. Sirens could be heard through the rain. Help was on the way.
	"Watch out!" Max quickly turned around to narrowly miss a shot. He fired two rounds into the thug's head, offing him. With a sigh, he  placed the young Manticore on the ground and smiled. An almost genuine smile.
	"Thanks." He said, ruffling the girls hair. A soft blush formed on her cheeks. He looked up to see that almost all the Manticores were out. save for a few stragglers huddling around a body. "Cole?" Max quickly rushed over to the group, picking up a pace when he saw the blood. "Cole!" Lightning flashed, thunder roared.
	Cole was in a sitting position. Barely a sitting position. his hand was clenching his stomach as his other held his gun. His shirt was soaked. Max looked around. He can see what happened. An ambush from one of the rooms. Cole gets surprised and shot in the gut. The thugs body was riddled with bullets. A surprise attack. Cole bit his lip as he looked at the wounds. two other bullets apparently got him in the leg. He was down.
	"Max, get the damn monsters out of here." Max tried to help him up but Cole brushed him off. The young manticores that circled him looked worried.
	"I'm not leaving you here." Cole grinned.
	"Stubborn as ever." Cole said to himself. "My time's up, Max. Head on out and take them with you, I'll cover you." Max was about to say something when a thug ran down the stars at the end of the hall. Cole quickly shot off the rest of his clip at him, taking him down. He quickly reloaded, swearing to himself as his blood made it too slippery. "Go, Max!" Max growled to himself, but listened. he beckoned the last remaining Manticores to follow as they ran down. The young Manticore that max put down waited for him, watching him leave his Conrad behind.
	"I'm coming back for you, Cole!" Max said as he carried the rest of the Manticores out. Cole watched with a smile.
	"I know you will, you bastard."

	The fire fight ended as quickly as it began. Police and ambulance were beginning to leave, heading for the nearest hospital to treat the wounded Manticores. Outside, news crew were reporting on the aftermath, talking about the hundreds of lives saved by this drug bust. Blake was talking to the news lady, mentioning all of what they found within the abandoned building. The big boned Chief stood in the center of the building, in what would be the lobby. Medical treatment were tending to the wounded. The Chief scanned the room with a smile. Mission accomplished.

	"Good job, everyone." the Chief said. "Drugs busted, Manticores saved, Drug lord arrested and living the rest of his life in prison." The chief reached into his pocket and took out a large cigar. he lit it with a quick match and blew out the smoke. "And with no casualties except for a couple thugs, I'd say that was a clean-"
	"One."
	"Hm?" The chief looked around just to freeze in his place. The rest of the police gasped as Max came around the corner. And lying in his hands was a fallen conrad. A friend. "One casualty."
	"Cole.." The Police chief couldn't believe his eyes. everyone watched as Max placed his friend on a stretcher, to no protest by any medical staff. "Max I. I know you and Cole were friends since Prescho-"
	"You see this! This is why I hate monsters!" Max pointed at his fallen friend, ignoring his damp eyes. "Everytime I'm near a monster something bad happens!"
	"Max."
	"First they take my daughter and turn her into god knows what. Now they kill my friend."
	"Max, you of all people know those Manticores didn't kill Cole."
	"But they were near him!" Max shouted. He was hurting. Bad. Without another say, Max stormed off. One of the deputy's was about to follow him when the Chief held up a hand."
	"Let him cool off, Dave." the chief said, sadness in his voice. "We've got other things to worry about."

	The funeral was wet, just like every other day in the city. No one said a word as the coffin was being lowered to the ground. No one knew what to say. Max stood in the silence, watching his friend go under. The patter of rain on his umbrella was drowned out by the rain hitting the coffin. Soon, everyone began to leave as the grave diggers began to toss the dirt and mud on the wooden tomb. Everyone except three people. The chief, Cole's mother, and Max. Cole's mother cried into her handkerchief. Even when her son is buried six feet under, she stiff dressed to look good. The Chief looked over to Max, who said nothing. With a sigh, he walked over to Cole's mother and comforted her in a hug. He soon began to walk her to her car. That left Max. Alone in the rain. Watching his friend rest in his coffin.


	That was twenty years ago. Twenty long years. Steelewater has changed for the best ever since. And for the worst. Ever since news travelled around about the Great Monster rescue, the Mayor allowed the Manticores to live in the city. This caused a boom of monsters coming and living in the once racist city. Monsters are now part of the normal society, getting many different jobs. Though, still a working progress. Humans and monsters live together. Crime has gone down dramatically, as if all Steelwater needed was monsters in their lives. For some strange reason, the non-stop rain in Steelwater has stopped, causing the sun and the moon to actually be seen for once in the cities history. locals say it's because a Ryu moved in, but no one knows.
	Of course, some people still don't like the thought of monsters living in their city and being accepted so easily. Protests used to be held by a pseudo Paladin group, naming themselves the RMC; Remove Monster Clan. But that quickly began to die down, some say due to persuasion by a group of succubus. Certain monsters aren't allowed in the city still. Succubus were quickly removed when the mayor's wife was, as she put it, stolen, by a Succubus. Now she's the mayor, in place of her husband that left with the Succubus.
	Slimes were banned after they began going after men through the pipes. Some say there's still some living in the sewers, but that was quickly laid to rest after an exhibition into the sewers. But rumours still travel. Wurms were banned for their indestructibility, but were quickly brought back after construction crew suggested they join the demolition.
	Max walked down the police station, heading towards a large wooden door with a frosted window. He held a mug of coffee in his hand; black, no sugar. Police men and woman waved at him as he passed, but he said nothing. He gazed at the sign on the door. Police Chief. With a sigh, he grabbed the knob and opened he door.

	"Have a seat, Max." The chief sat in his chair in front of his large wooden desk. Mahogany, as always. Max looked around. Pictures adorned the walls of the room. Some of sports jerseys, while other of achievements the Chief has done. Including a certificate from the mayor on the Great Manticore Rescue. Boxes lied on the ground, opened up. Some were filled with books while other just nonsense.
	On the desk was a mug of hot chocolate. The chief never liked coffee. Next to his mug was a picture of him and a woman. Cole's mother. Max never liked that the chief took advantage of his mother after the funeral. Though, he's lost weight ever since then. A small radio sat behind him near the window. Swing Doors was playing. At least the marriage never changed his taste of music.
	"Enjoying the new office?" Max said, taking a seat on one of the stairs in front of the Chief. The chubby man sat back and smiled.
	"It's big."
	"It looks big." Max took a sip of his coffee. "But that's not what you called me here for." the Chief grimaced.
	"You know me too well, Max." the old man chuckled. "That's right, that ain't what I called you here for." Max gazed up at the clock. 9:40.
	"No, I called you here for something else, Max." The chief took a sip of his hot chocolate. "You've been solo ever since.." He trailed off. Max didn't flinch.
	"I work alone." Max said, more of a statement. The chief frowned.
	"You can't be alone forever, Max."
	"Wife's dead." five years ago. "daughter's god knows where. Cole's dead." Max took a sip of his coffee. "And I'm in my forties." he scratched his short beard. He hated how it showed his greys.
	"Max, the mayor came here earlier. Nice girl, good at what she does." The chief played with his ring. He did that a lot when talking about woman. "But anyway, she gave me a proposition."
	"Define." Max didn't like where this was going.
	"Well, some of the girls have been saying that there isn't a whole lot of, well, woman on the force." The chief tried to read Max' expression. he was better off reading a brick wall. "And, well, we got one."
	"You don't mean a woman." Max said. The chief looked at him confused. "Any time you talk about woman, you play with your ring. But you're not doing that now."
	"Max-"
	"No." Max quickly got up. The chief got up as well, holding out his hand.
	"Max, wait-" Max turned to face the chief.
	"Chief, I don't know what you're planning." Max slowly opened the door. "But we already have cathy downstairs. So whatever it is, I want nothing to do with i-" Before Max could finish his sentence, he bumped into a small woman. he hissed as his coffee spilled all over the both of them. Max quickly caught the girl before they fell to the ground. He looked down at the scared woman that clutched his chest. But it wasn't a normal girl. Two dark brown ears stuck out of the top of her head, facing down to avoid coffee to get into her ears. Two small red scaled wings hugged her back. A long tail with spikes at the end was pointed down at the ground. Max' seen this type of monster before.
	"Max, I want you to beet Claire." the chief said with a chuckle. "Claire, I want you to meet Max Anonymous. Starting today, you two are partners."
	Max looked around for a clock. He mentally groans. he already knew what time it was.
	10:00.