FicWad

Cass stood by her car and took a deep breath. She could just leave and tell them later that her shoulder pain was too much, but Chief Irons had been adamant about everyone being there. Something about a “united front.” Adjusting her sling, she couldn’t help but sigh.
“Are you well, Miss Walker?” a voice said from behind her, causing Cass to quickly spin around.
A man with slicked back hair and sunglasses stood calmly behind her with a slight smile.
“Uh, no. I mean, yes, Captain Wesker… The shoulder was just dislocated. Should be fine in a few weeks,” Cass said quickly and awkwardly.
“That’s good,” Captain Wesker replied, but he sounded more curious than concerned. “How did it happen?”
“Admiring the girl’s battle wounds, eh, Captain?” Barry asked with a smile as he got out of his car. Cass could feel her face flush as Barry walked closer. With a fond pat on her head, Barry continued, “I heard she fought against a pack of wild dogs. How many were there?”
“Only three…” Cass muttered, embarrassed that the story had gotten so out of hand. Chris must be the one to blame. “I wouldn’t exactly call that a pack.”
“I would!” Barry said with a loud laugh. “If I were you, I’d take the day to rest. I won’t tell the Chief I saw you. How about you, Captain?”
“A day off wouldn’t hurt,” Captain Wesker agreed. “What about your partner?”
“He’s in the hospital,” Cass said with a sad look. “I was able to pull the dog off him but not before it bit his leg. I’m more worried about the dogs.”
Barry laughed, and even Captain Wesker looked amused. Cass realized how that sounded and explained, “I mean, that someone else will get hurt by them. They looked really ill. I could see their ribs… and I mean the actual bone. Bits of flesh had been ripped off… or maybe rotted off. I told Chief Irons, but he shrugged it off. I killed all three of them, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t more.”
“He’s probably more worried about the missing persons cases,” Barry explained as they started walking toward the park. “He probably wants you there just so he can gloat. At least now he can say that he’s doing something about the packs of wild dogs rumors.”
Cass sighed in irritation. Actively fighting against the Chief would do her no favors. Especially not when the Chief’s three most hated members of the STARS unit were her friends. Barry tried to cheer her up with some dad-level jokes, but even though she laughed, her heart just wasn’t in it. Captain Wesker had abandoned them to talk to Irons. Cass looked at them with curiosity before a familiar voice caught her attention.
“Cass!” Chris called as he walked over. “Oh, hey, Barry. How’s it going?”
Barry pat Chris on the back and said, “Oh, I understand. I’m just an afterthought when Cass is here.”
“Pretty much,” Joseph said from behind Chris. “Now you know how I feel. So neglected.”
Even though Joseph’s voice sounded sad, he couldn’t keep the grin from his face. Cass rolled her eyes, while Barry laughed at Chris’ irritation.
“Irons is about to give his speech. Let’s go to the podium and get this over with,” Forest said wearily, and Cass nodded.
They walked closer to the stage but stayed at the back. The scowl on Chief Iron’s face told Cass that they had made the right decision. Chris, Joseph, and Forest were his least favorite members of the force, and he blamed Barry for Chris joining. Cass looked away when her eyes met his.
“Uh, oh,” Forest murmured and softly nudged Cass’ uninjured right arm. “Looks like he wants your attention.”
“I have no intention of pretending that I ‘solved’ the wild dog problem when he won’t invest in time in making certain that there aren’t any more. He can find someone else to be his puppet.”
Joseph chuckled and adjusted his bandana, and Chris gave her an approving look. Cass looked to Captain Wesker. She wondered if he’d said something about the dog attack to Chief Irons, but the chief decided to go ahead with his speech. It was a load of garbage. The chief kept her name out of the conversation, but he credited the animal control department with the eradication of a pack of wild dogs. Cass could feel her fist shaking in fury as he told the news that his departments were doing all they could to cull the problem.
“I need… I need to take a walk,” Cass whispered, and Chris nodded.
He gave her a careful half-hug and whispered, “Don’t worry. He’s putting on a show for the cameras. Probably won’t even notice you’re gone, and if he does… who cares?”
Cass hugged him in return before quickly walking into the nearby forest. She took a deep breath as the sound of the pompous, pathetic excuse for a police chief faded into nothingness. Taking a seat under one of the bigger trees, she focused on her breathing and tried to find calm. Chief Irons enjoyed the spotlight. He enjoyed the praise, but he had no intention of working to earn it. Jack was in the hospital. People were disappearing, and the man in charge of protecting this city had no intention of investigating the cause.
Laughter startled her. It took her a couple seconds to realize that she was the one laughing. Was she laughing at the hopelessness of the situation? The stupidity of Irons? She rested her head on the tree behind her. Calm seemed to harder to find these days, and it didn’t seem like things were going to get any easier. Closing her eyes, she tried once again to clear her thoughts.
“Are you alright?” Captain Wesker’s voice made her open her eyes.
“Just… looking for peace and quiet… something to calm my nerves.”
“Ah… Chief Irons mentioned your efforts, but I suppose you didn’t hear that.”
Cass let out a dry laugh and said, “Great. Bet he was upset I wasn’t there to serenely wave my uninjured hand and pretend that everything is just dandy.”
“Isn’t it?”
“Not when he’s burying his head in the sand.”
“Hmm, are you sure you’re not in pain? You normally aren’t this…”
“Unhelpful. Mean-spirited. Petty.”
“… uncooperative was what I was going to say.”
Cass laughed and admitted, “I’m nicer around Chris. Mostly because he loves to call me out when I’m ‘rude’ or ‘not thinking about others.’ Usually I just go with the flow because it’s easier, but… people can get hurt. People have been hurt.”
“You believe that dogs are behind the disappearances?”
“Some of them at least. And I was referring to Jack. My partner,” Cass clarified when Captain Wesker looked confused. “They were fast. Unbelievably so. I’m not a bad shot, and it took me a while to kill two of them. I’ve dealt with stubborn Pit Bulls and anxiety-ridden Great Danes. I’ve never even pulled a muscle before. Not because I’m super strong but because I’m good at anticipating animal behavior and how to act accordingly. Those dogs… it wasn’t rabies. It was something else. Something worse.”
Cass noticed her hand shaking and covertly hid it under her leg. She continued uneasily as Captain Wesker walked closer, “But I’ll be fine. No need to worry about me… Just some rest will help. And some quiet.”
Captain Wesker had stopped in front of her and got down on one knee. He gave her a smile and said, “You don’t need to pretend to be fine. If you aren’t, then just say so, but I do admit to being somewhat disappointed. Not by you, of course. I suspect that something will cause the STARS team to be deployed soon, and I was hoping that you would join us. Not as an associate but as a member of the team.”
Cass looked at him in confusion and said, “But, uh, I don’t have any experience like you or Chris. I’m just in animal control.”
“And an animal may be responsible. You have a gun license and are quite a good shot. I’ve seen you practicing with Chris at the range. You might even be a better shot than some of the members on our team. Aside from that, Bravo team just hired someone without any of your experience. Sure, she’s a child prodigy, but I’d rather have an expert with a gun on my team.”
Captain Wesker gave her an encouraging smile, but Cass looked down and said, “I’d hardly call myself an expert.”
“As always, you are being too hard on yourself, but… I’d understand if you are too shaken to come with us. I’m sure Chris would be more confident if you came with us, but I understand your reservations. It was a harrowing experience, and you must be drained.”
“Yeah… I’ll… um, think about it. Thanks.”
Captain Wesker was still smiling and held up a hand for her to take. Cass put her hand in his and marveled at how effortlessly he helped her up. She followed him back to the crowd with new confidence. A part of her was a little unsure of the smirk he’d had when she took his hand, but that had to be a trick of the light. Perhaps he thought of one of Barry’s jokes. That was probably it. After all, Chris admired the captain, and that alone was enough for Cass.