Episode 1 – Rookie's Luck (continued)
Act 1 – The Case Opens
Theo sat at the battered metal desk, the case folder spread out in front of him. The woman's face stared back at him through glossy crime-scene photos: pale skin, dark hair matted with river filth, lips blue. But the symbols on her wrists kept dragging his eyes back. Jagged spirals carved with precision, identical to those in the warehouse.
Marisol noticed where he was staring. She smirked and leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs deliberately so her skirt slid up a few inches. "Don't overthink it, rookie. Ritual killers love theatrics. It's not magic. It's control. Men marking women because it makes them feel powerful."
Theo swallowed and forced himself to focus on the file. But the HUD flickered at the edge of his vision again:
[Case Exp: 0/300]
The number taunted him. If solving this case truly meant experience—power—then every clue mattered.
Reynolds barked from his office, "Cruz, Vega, Briggs—take the rookie. Don't let him die on day two."
"Already did," Vega muttered under his breath.
Marisol stubbed out her cigarette and rose. "Come on, Mercer. Time to see how bad you want to play detective."
⸻
Act 2 – Down in the Gutter
Their first stop was the morgue. The medical examiner pulled back the sheet, revealing the young woman's body. Theo flinched but forced himself to stare.
"Ligature marks," the examiner said. "Strangled with wire. Deep cuts on the wrists, post-mortem. Whoever did this wanted to make a point."
Marisol leaned in, close enough for Theo to smell her perfume under the stench of death. "Notice the cuts, rookie. Clean. Surgical. Not random carving. Whoever our killer is, they're meticulous. Probably educated."
Theo nodded, but as he looked at the body, something shimmered across his vision. Dice rolling, odds shifting. A number floated in his HUD:
[Clue Identified: +15 EXP]
His heart jumped. It's real.
Vega caught him staring. "What's wrong with you? You look like you just hit the lottery."
Theo shook his head quickly. "Nothing. Just—taking it in."
The team moved on, canvassing the area near the river. Witnesses were scarce, but one junkie swore he saw a black sedan dumping something off the pier. Another claimed he saw "symbols glowing" on the water before the cops arrived.
Theo filed it away. The HUD ticked again:
[Witness Report: +10 EXP]
⸻
Act 3 – Courts of Corruption
By afternoon, they were sitting in front of Judge Halloran, trying to secure a warrant for security camera footage. Halloran was infamous—slicked-back hair, gold watch, a smirk that screamed untouchable.
Marisol leaned forward, her blouse just low enough to make the judge's eyes wander. "Come on, your honor. We need that footage if we're going to stop this guy."
Halloran smirked wider. "Always asking for favors, Cruz. You lawyers never change. What's in it for me?"
Theo's jaw tightened. He wanted to shout, to expose the corruption dripping off this man like grease. But Marisol's hand brushed his knee under the table, a subtle warning.
She leaned closer to the judge, voice dropping. "You let us pull those tapes, I'll make sure the DA's office doesn't dig into your… extracurricular hobbies."
The judge's smirk faltered, then he scribbled his signature. "You get 48 hours."
As they left, Theo muttered, "You blackmailed him."
Marisol shrugged, lighting another cigarette. "Welcome to the real justice system, rookie. It's not about the truth—it's about leverage."
The HUD flickered again:
[Case Progression: +25 EXP]
Theo felt both disgusted and exhilarated. Every dirty deal, every twist of fate—it all fed him.
⸻
Act 4 – The Chase
That night, they tracked the black sedan to a chop shop in Harlem. The place reeked of oil and sweat, half a dozen men working under dim lights. When the detectives flashed their badges, chaos erupted.
One suspect bolted. Theo didn't think—he ran. His boots pounded the pavement, lungs burning. The suspect vaulted a fence, sprinted down an alley. Theo was falling behind. Thirty years old, not built like the rookies ten years younger.
Then it happened.
A bottle rolled out of nowhere, clattering under the suspect's feet. He tripped, crashed face-first into a dumpster. Theo gaped—impossible timing.
The HUD burned:
[Probability Broken: +50 EXP]
Theo slapped cuffs on the dazed man, heart hammering.
Marisol and Vega caught up, panting. Vega stared at the scene. "What the hell just happened? He just… ate pavement."
Theo forced a laugh. "Guess I got lucky."
Marisol's eyes lingered on him, sharp, suspicious—but she said nothing.
Act 5 – Luck Breaker
Back at the precinct, the interrogation ran hot. The suspect cracked under pressure, confessing to being a driver for a trafficking ring. He hadn't killed the girl, but he knew who did—a man named Calderon, connected to a web of corrupt officials and dirty money.
As the confession wrapped, the HUD blazed across Theo's vision:
[Case Solved: +175 EXP]
[Bonus: Probability Breaker Event +25 EXP]
The numbers climbed:
[EXP: 275/1000]
Theo's breath caught. He wasn't even close to prestige, but the taste of it burned in his veins. Power, waiting to be claimed one case at a time.
⸻
Closing Cliffhanger
It was past midnight when Theo finally sat alone in the precinct, staring at his empty coffee cup. The building hummed with the silence of the damned. Vega had passed out at his desk. Marisol had left with a judge's number scribbled on her palm. Briggs vanished into the night.
Theo rubbed his temples. His HUD flickered again:
[Level 1 → Level 3.]
The numbers glowed, then dimmed.
In the evidence lockup, the artifact from the warehouse pulsed faintly, as if alive, waiting for him to touch it again.
And in the darkness of the city, someone whispered his name.