With every step he took forward, an image of him being shot dead kept coming to mind. Since it was possibly his last walk, he counted each step, from when he revealed himself at the corner where Zane was currently hiding, to his current position, about ninety feet from the Enforcers. He was on step eight when he locked eyes with one of the guarding Enforcers. The woman hadn’t made out Nole’s identity yet, which was fortunate, but it was only a matter of time before someone had.

They hadn’t paid him any mind until step twenty, when he was about seventy feet from the entrance of the station. The female guard approached him, baton hanging from her waste band and gun holstered on her belt.

“No one is allowed on the premises,” she informed him when he was within earshot. “I’m going to have to ask you…” her voice trailed off after getting a closer look at him. In an instant, her baton was withdrawn and pointed his way. “Get on your knees!” she ordered, getting the attention of the other Enforcers.

Hesitantly, Nole lowered himself to his knees. A few other Enforcers began crowding around him to make sure the lead guard wasn’t mistaken. The disbelief painted their faces. Nole imagined the questions they must have been asking themselves: He just surrendered out of the blue? Has he gone crazy? Has his conscience caught up with him?

Another guard instructed him to put his hands on his head slowly. Flicking his eyes at the Enforcers maintaining their position, Nole knew his current actions wouldn’t be enough to give Zane an opening. I have to do more, he urged himself as he rose to his feet.

“On your knees!” the female Enforcer repeated after his blatant disobedience. One of the hands she kept on the baton made its way to her holster. Biting his lip, he changed tactics.

“I have vital information pertaining to the investigation,” he bargained desperately. “I know who the real murderer of Dr. Murphy Maddox is.” The Enforcers grew silent briefly, but the woman instructed him to get on his knees once more, completely disinterested in his attempt to negotiate.

Maintaining his stance, Nole made his last ditch effort.

“Chief Caswell is working with the Pents. He hired them to go after the Paras. They framed the Paras for the fountain vandalism,” he rambled the information fervently, but none of them seemed intrigued. “He’s going to murder two innocent-”

“On your knees, criminal!” the other Enforcer interrupted. Nole couldn’t tell whether they were in on the Chief’s schemes or is they just didn’t believe him. The latter was the most likely; after all, he himself had no credibility as an alleged murderer.

The options were narrowing. As the seconds passed, the angry looks on the Enforcers’ faces intensified. A few more inched their hands to their holsters. Nole’s mouth became dry. He knew if he ran, he would be shot on the spot, and then Zane would be stuck on the outside. Nothing’s working, he thought franticly. He knew what Zane would do in that situation, but he couldn’t bring himself to do the same; not to mention that he’d have absolutely no credibility after that.

“Rookies!” a piercing voice bellowed. “Lower your weapons!”

His breathing steadied upon hearing the command. Not daring to move, Nole searched for his savior amongst the group of Enforcers surrounding him. A single set of footsteps tramped against the concrete until an individual appeared.

“Captain Hadley, ma’am,” the female guard greeted, “the suspect came onto the grounds of his own accord and refused to follow orders.”

Blonde side swept bangs hung loosely over her eyebrows and just above her light brown eyes. It was somewhat difficult for Nole to discern her expression. The rest of her hair was pulled back into a tight bun, accentuating her strong jawline. Her full lips were pursed, neither smiling nor frowning.

He wondered if she’d heard his allegations about Chief Caswell.

Thinking back to last night, he wondered if she’d recognized him. He’d deceived her so easily and even infiltrated Central Station while on her watch. Thanks to him, she was even held at gunpoint by Marco. With her there, he assumed Captain Maddox was nearby.

“I’ll handle it from here,” she informed her subordinates. “Vale, come with me.” She turned her heels in the direction Central Station and walked unperturbed. Tentatively, Nole followed, meeting the nasty looks given by the rookie guards. He also checked on Zane in the distance, but he couldn’t see him. Change of plans, Nole noted, hoping that Zane would hold off until further instruction.

Hadley led him through the barricade and into the front entrance of the station without so much as a word. Inside the building, other Enforcers buzzed around the main lobby. Nole wasn’t surprised by the many gawks he received. Though the entire atmosphere was unnerving, he kept moving until he was beyond the many desks.

Passing the glass-paned office, they entered the interrogation room where she and Captain Maddox had been working the night before. “Take a seat,” she offered, placing herself in one of the chairs at the single rectangular table in the middle of the room. Closing the door behind him, he did as he was told.

“Did you hear what I said out there?” he dared to inquire.

“I’ll be asking the questions,” she retorted firmly. Setting her elbows on the table, she laced her fingers and placed them in front of her face. He eyed the misleading mirror that spanned nearly the entire length of the wall. Who’s watching me from the other side of that mirror? Maddox? Caswell? He wasn’t sure which option was worse.

Hadley cleared her throat to initiate the questioning. “Are you a Para?” The first question immediately caught him off guard. He shook his head vigorously in response. “Former Para member?” she insisted. He shook his head again. “What were those two men doing here last night? From our surveillance tapes, we know you didn’t arrive together. We have intel that they are up and coming Para recruits.”

He wasn’t sure what to tell her. Right then and there, he had to decide whether or not the Captain could be trusted. “Let me inform you,” she added, “your brother is still in our custody, so your cooperation would be most beneficial in your situation.”

He clenched his fists under the table. He was being pushed into a corner, with no choice but to oblige.

“I’m not entirely sure, but they might have been looking for investigation records for Dr. Murphy’s murder.”

“And why would they be doing that?”

“Because they know I’m innocent.”

She squinted her eyes at the statement.

“If you’re innocent, who’s guilty?” She was challenging him. This was a test to see if he would stick to his allegations or abandon ship.

“Someone within the Enforcers,” he answered. “Most likely Chief Caswell.”

Unlacing her fingers, she propped her head up with one hand and tapped the table with the fingers of the other.

“That’s some accusation. Is that what you’re sticking with?” Nole stared at her, unsure if the question was rhetorical. “Are you aware that there is outstanding evidence pointing to you as the murderer?”

“The evidence was either misanalysed or planted.”

“And the evidence you have?” she contested.

“My friends have evidence. I have allies, but the real murderer is trying to take them down. The two you arrested today have nothing to do with this.”

“Let’s focus on you,” Hadley guided.

“No!” Nole argued, slamming his fists down on the table.

She didn’t even flinch.

“I’m going to warn you, this questioning is a courtesy. I have the grounds to put you behind bars until you get your sentence.”

Releasing his fists, Nole took a deep breath to regain his composure.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “My friends, they are going to be assassinated, not guilty, and without a hearing.”

“I don’t know where you’re getting this information, but no one has that kind of jurisdiction here. They will get a proper hearing on the charges of aiding and abetting,” she informed him. In that moment, Nole realized that Hadley was completely oblivious to the inner workings of Chief Caswell’s corrupted system.

“Please,” Nole begged, “there’s more to this than you know.” He clenched his jaw, trying to choose his words wisely. “I don’t care about myself, but my friends and my brother are in danger. Make sure they’re protected and I’ll tell you everything.”

Leaning back in her chair, she stared him down, as if judging the truth in his words. With a single stroke of her bangs, she lifted herself from the chair and crossed her arms.

“I’ll look into this, but we’re not done here.” He breathed a sigh of relief at her words. Maybe Caswell is working alone after all. “Hey Ryker, Bellamy,” she called, looking into the two-way mirror. “Come in and watch this kid until I get back.”

Ryker and Bellamy, Nole repeated to himself. The second he recognized the names, the familiar faces entered the room. “You know Sargent Ryker and Sargent Bellamy,” Hadley affirmed, exiting the room after the two men appeared.

Apparently Bellamy was still sore about getting taken down by Olivia, while Ryker wasn’t happy about Nole and Olivia getting away after he was knocked unconscious by Taro. Nole knew he would be counting the minutes Hadley was away as soon as he saw the two scowling faces staring him down begrudgingly.

 “If it isn’t public enemy number one,” Bellamy greeted, an edge of bitterness in his voice. Nole recalled his first encounter with him during he and Olivia’s outing the day before. Her expert combat skills had completely overtaken him to the point where she was able to knock him unconscious single handedly. “I was happy to see your friend apprehended,” he added.

Nole grimaced at Bellamy’s taunting. He decided that there would be no point in arguing with either Bellamy or Ryker. Both men seemed sour toward him, so Nole deemed an attempt at negotiation pointless.

Sgt. Ryker stood by the door with his arms crossed, scowling at Nole. Confused by the look of contempt, Nole assumed he was also embittered about how Taro had taken him out with one blow. Breaking his gaze from the seething Enforcer, Nole redirected his attention to the table. That is, until Sgt. Bellamy continued with his mocking. “I was pretty surprised to hear that you just waltzed into Central Station last night. Sure we don’t have night hours, but you couldn’t have been so stupid to think no one was here. I wish I could’ve seen your face when you saw Captain Maddox,” he sneered. “Hey Ry,” he called, turning to face his partner, “you said you left right before Hadley and Maddox had him cornered right?” Ryker didn’t answer, still staring knives into Nole.

Bellamy pulled out the chair across from Nole, obscuring his view of Ryker. “Tell me, what’s this nonsense about the Chief?” he asked. As tempting as it was, Nole didn’t know whether he could trust them. They had already heard enough from the other side of the two-way mirror, explaining the rest would only pose unnecessary risk. “You may have Captain Hadley fooled by your story, but I can see through your desperate charade. Trust me, when the Chief gets wind of your slandering his name, you’ll be behind bars faster than, than…” he trailed off, trying to think of a witty ending to his threat.

“Faster than you getting knocked out by a little girl?” Nole jeered. He couldn’t help but put Bellamy in his place and shut him up. To his surprise, the Sergeant guffawed in response.

“Sure, make jokes while you can,” he replied, not showing the least bit of anger.

Distracted by his converser’s easy-going attitude, Nole didn’t notice Ryker advancing toward him. By the time he caught on to the moving Enforcer’s course, he was already behind his chuckling partner. In one swift movement, Ryker unsheathed the blade and slit Bellamy’s neck, inducing a gut-wrenching gasp from his victim.

The spurting blood covered the table immediately and even sprayed onto Nole’s clothing before he could react. Jumping away from the scene, Nole was speechless, trying to ward off the rising vomit in his throat. Bellamy clutched the slit in his neck with both hands, trying to cover the source of his rapid blood loss. Eventually, his head hit the table and his hands released the grip on his neck, shaking unnervingly on the table’s surface. Slowly, his breathing became more and more shallow, until finally, it stopped altogether.

"You have no idea," he began, wiping the blade on Bellamy's uniform. "How long I've wanted to do that."

Breathing heavily to fend off the nausea, Nole concentrated on surviving. His eyes flicked over in the direction of the two-way mirror, but Ryker read his thoughts.

"I locked the observation room before coming in here,” he clarified, using a handkerchief to wipe the handle of the bloodied switchblade. He gently placed it on Nole’s end of the table delicately, unbothered by the lifeless body under him.

“Y-you’re with the Chief?” Nole stammered, still coming to terms with Sgt. Bellamy’s death.

“The Chief?” he scoffed. “Do you really think an oaf like Caswell could possibly accomplish something of this magnitude? He’s involved in my plan, but don’t make the mistake of thinking that he’s the one in charge.” With the dirtied kerchief, Ryker cleaned his fingers of the residual blood before tucking it away in his coat.

The Chief isn’t the leader? Nole was shocked. All this time he’d considered Caswell an enemy, the leader of the plot.

“So how many of you are there?” Nole demanded, keeping a close eye on the pistol. Nole had only planned on facing off with Taro, but adding the Enforcers Unit was another thing entirely.

“More than you think,” Ryker smirked. “Though there is some truth to what you’ve hypothesized.” Nole realized he wouldn’t be leaving the room alive, and his assumption was confirmed when Ryker pointed the barrel of the gun his way. “This isn’t going to be like it was in the alley, when that nosy brat came to your rescue. You made a mistake rescuing him that night, and now you and his friends are going to die. I can’t wait to kill him last. Just before pulling the trigger, I’m going to let him know that all of you are dead because of him,” he said sadistically.

Although he was curious about the 'him,' only one question buzzed inside of Nole's head. “Did you kill Murphy?”

“That washed up old man?" Ryker scoffed. "I wouldn't waste my energy on that has-been, but that doesn't mean he could be overlooked. Especially after you involved him.” Clenching his fists at the comment, Nole's worst thoughts were confirmed. It was his fault. Murphy died because of him.

When his eyes wandered toward the switchblade, he noticed the Para insignia. “Are you a former Para?"

“Don’t be a fool,” Ryker scoffed, withdrawing his gun. The sight of the weapon made Nole flinch. “This goes beyond the Paras; beyond the Enforcers.” When he caught Nole looking at the Para symbol on the blade, he clarified. “This?" A twisted smile crept across him face before going on. "This was a gift from someone who dealt with that loose end for me. You called him... Murphy?” The air became heavy as Nole found his nausea returning.

If he didn't believe Tom's words earlier, he did in that moment. Murphy was a Para.

“Who killed him?” he managed to get the question, subduing his rising anger. An image of Taro flashed in his mind. He wanted confirmation. Need it.

The sinister smile on Ryker’s face grew wider, and a satisfying grunt escaped him in response to Nole’s presumption.

Nole was at his boiling point. His fists hurt from squeezing them so hard, but he didn’t care. The menacing pride Ryker expressed disgusted Nole to a point where he could no longer stand it.

Unafraid of the gun pointed his way, it took everything within Nole to keep from lunging for Ryker. He knew his chances of actually getting to the man were slim, but his rage was consuming him. His fists were actually trembling from the amplified fury and his jaw became sore from clenching it so long.

“If you think,” he began, his voice trembling. “If you think that you’re getting away with this, you’re dead wrong.” Coming to terms with his defeat, Nole didn’t want to die without letting Ryker know that his plans were in vain. “This is far from over.”

With his last statement, the earsplitting sound of a distant gunshot echoed inside the room. Before Nole could speculate on the reason behind the firing of the gun outside, someone came banging on the door, but no one came in.

“All Enforcers to the main entrance,” a voice directed over the PA system. “There is a group trying to storm the Central Station.”

Even with the mechanized tone of the intercom, Nole instantly identified the voice coming across the system. Even when she’s under arrest, Betty can’t help but boss people around.