Judging by the apparent panic spreading throughout the station, Ryker kept his position. The loaded gun was held steady in Nole’s direction, and although he was slightly comforted by the fact that Betty seemed to be free, it wasn’t much of a consolation on his end.

“You think they won’t hear the gunshot?” Nole pointed out in a desperate attempt to stay alive.

“It’s self defense after you murdered my beloved partner,” he sneered unapologetically. “Of course, I’m going to plant your prints on the blade like we did on the knife used to kill the doctor. You left plenty of prints on the scene, so it wasn’t too difficult to transfer them to the murder weapon.”

All the pieces began fitting together, except for the 'we'.

“Did you lure my brother here?” he asked level-headedly.

“You’re brother? You’re still worrying about that sorry excuse for family?” Ryker ridiculed. “That kid came to Central all on his own. He actually went up to the Enforcers and started rambling on and on about past gang crimes. Heck, he even suspected that there was some foul play on our end. I think he could’ve actually caught on to me if he weren’t so fixated on some murder.”

“He’s fixated on it because you framed me,” Nole defended, earning a shove from Ryker.

“A different murder,” Ryker simplified, a look of disinterest cast upon his features. “I think it’s time to end the conversation.”

Ignoring the traitorous Ryker’s request, Nole was stuck on the information that was just revealed to him. Not Murphy’s death? It dawned on him almost instantly.

Mom.

MM... Mom’s Murder.

He’s been investigating her murder this whole time. That’s why he’s so interested in the crime news and gang developments. That’s why he went to the Enforcers. How could I have missed that? He scolded himself for missing something so obvious.

The hammer of the gun was pressed down as Ryker prepared the shot. Uninterrupted by the chaos outside, the man was unfazed by whatever was happening beyond the confines of the room; that is, until someone came storming in.

“Sgt. Ryker!” Hadley shouted, “I’ll handle Vale, you and Bellamy need to…” When her eyes landed on Bellamy’s body, her mouth hung open in disbelief. “Bellamy!” she screamed, rushing to his side. “Ryker, get a doctor!” she ordered, her hands inspecting the slit in his throat. The scene was eerily familiar to Nole.

Despite the command, Ryker didn’t move. “What the hell happened?” Captain Hadley demanded, desperately trying to revive her dead comrade. Neither Nole nor Ryker responded at first, but then Ryker seized the opportunity to regain control of the situation.

“Vale slit his throat before I could stop him.” Ryker faked devastation and helplessness. The phony expression of sadness on his face made Nole sick. A deadly look of anger enveloped Hadley’s face when her eyes landed on the switchblade. Her silence crept on until she could finally say something.

“I’m taking you down for this,” she seethed, not lifting her head from the table. Nole wavered from the intensity in her tone. He had no idea how to go about revealing that one of her comrades is a traitor and a murderer. “You’re a dead man,” she said between clenched teeth.

A wide smirk spread across Ryker’s face and he holstered his gun when he noticed Hadley reaching for her own. The hallways became silent and Nole presumed that the on-duty Enforcers had all exited the building by that point. He wondered about what was causing all of them to protect the entrance. It seemed too soon for Tom and the Paras to have showed up, so perhaps Zane was making a last stand.

“Captain, I didn’t kill Bellamy,” Nole explained worriedly. If one of his allies was outside the station, he still had a chance of getting out alive.

“Shut up!” she shouted, jumping from her seat. “I don’t know what your motives were, but you’re sure as hell not getting away with this.”

She gripped the gun and withdrew it completely. Her eyes looked bloodshot from fatigue, tears, or both. Pressing her lips together into a tight line, she breathed out through her nose and abruptly pointed the gun at her target.

The smugness in Ryker’s face dissipated almost instantly when he came face to face with the barrel of Hadley’s pistol. Although Nole knew he was innocent, he was immensely confused by Hadley’s apparent change of heart.

“C-captain,” Ryker stuttered in his rehearsed tone, “what are you doing?” Hadley didn’t speak, only staring him down from behind the trigger. “Don’t tell me you actually think I did this!” he denied, raising his voice to mimic his fake feeling of betrayal.

If Nole hadn’t just witnessed Ryker’s actions for himself, he might’ve actually believed him. Although he wanted to understand Hadley’s actions, Nole just wanted to find Caden and his friends. However, just because Hadley had seen through Ryker, doesn’t mean she thought Nole was innocent.

“You’ve been in this Unit for nearly three years, Ryker. Have you been deceiving us all this time?” Hadley demanded, not lowering her gun.

“Listen to yourself, Hadley.” He was trying the rational approach. Hadley’s extended silence worried Nole slightly. Does she actually believe this crap? This is bad, he thought. If he weren’t isolated on the opposite side of the room, he would’ve been tempted to make a break for it. “I’ve been working along side you all this time. Do you really think me, your friend, would kill my best friend and partner?”

“If you didn’t kill Bellamy,” she said, voice shaking, “why did he write your name on the table with his blood?”

Both Nole and Ryker turned their gaze to the table and Bellamy’s upper body that was sprawled across it. Nole took notice of the deceased Sergeant’s hands, laying flat on the table. The blood had pooled on most of the surface, so Nole couldn’t see any unusual spots. His eye fell on Bellamy’s hands, and how they’d acted as walls that prevented the blood from reaching the left and right edges of the table; at least, that was the case for his left hand. Bellamy’s right hand had blocked the blood from going off of the right hand as well, however, there were blotches beyond his right hand.

Taking a few steps forward, Nole examined the spot and saw Bellamy’s final act as Sergeant. In small, yet decipherable writing, the letters RY gleamed in dark red ink. Nole wanted to smile, to show Ryker that his act was over, but he couldn’t count this as a victory, not if an innocent person was dead. The only consolation Nole could take from the situation was that Ryker was exposed and that his actions would soon be brought to light. “No reply?” Hadley persisted.

Frightened eyes and openmouthed astonishment Ryker transformed into irritated scowl and demonic smile Ryker. He’d given up the ruse.

“Out of all the fools in this pathetic Unit, you were one of the few I worried about,” he complimented. “That promotion was well deserved, Captain.”

“Drop your weapon,” she ordered calmly, maintaining her distance. Ryker studied her before acknowledging her command. Slowly, he lowered himself until his hands reached the floor, her eyes on him all the while.

Gently laying the gun on the tile floor, Ryker rose and placed his hands in front of his chest as a sign of surrender. After kicking the gun to the opposite side of the room, out of Ryker’s reach, Hadley continued with the apprehension. “Hands on your head.” She wasn’t letting up. When he complied with her direction, she instructed him to turn around and get on his knees so she could handcuff him.

“You know I have bad knees,” Ryker joked sadistically. Unresponsive to his comment, Hadley watched like a hawk about to devour a meal while he followed the arrest protocol. Lowering her gun, she retrieved the cuffs from her back pocket. “You have the right to remain silent,” she began, snapping one of the bracelets on his wrists.

Before she could read the rest of the statement, Ryker seized her own wrists and pulled her against him. Whipping his head around, he revealed the razor blade hidden beneath his tongue and sliced both her wrists open.

With a shriek of pain, Hadley grasped both the slits to prevent excessive blood loss, giving Ryker enough time to knock her back against the table. Nole didn’t hesitate when he realized what was happening. He rushed to the wall in hopes of reaching the gun, however Ryker saw through his attempt straightaway.

“Hold it!” Ryker demanded. Nole didn’t care how close his enemy was or what kind of weapon he had. Witnessing Ryker’s quick actions, Nole knew if he hesitated for a second he would be killed.

Picking up the weapon and placing his finger on the trigger, Nole turned abruptly, intent on putting an end to the killing. Unfortunately, his foe had outsmarted him yet again. In a final act of cowardice, Ryker had taken Hadley captive with her own gun pointed at her head. The other arm was wrapped around her neck, with the single handcuff dangling from his right wrist.

Still clutching the cuts on her wrists, Hadley avoided eye contact with Nole, as if to avoid conveying any sense of helpless she was undoubtedly feeling. Ryker’s small blade was gone, and a disturbing grin took its place. “Want to be responsible for another innocent death?” he asked confidently, strengthening his hold on Hadley until she coughed in pain.

The words stung. Ryker was going for low blows, and Nole knew it.

"Take the shot,” Hadley gasped, inducing a fit of coughs.

“I won’t say it again,” he warned. “You know I’ll do it without a moment’s hesitation. The second your finger squeezes that trigger, I’ll do the same. You may kill me, but I will kill her.” Ryker’s swift attacks on both Bellamy and Hadley were evidence enough of his skilled murder tactics.

Grinding his teeth in frustration, Nole was at odds with the scenario.

I could put an end to all of this. He's responsible for everything. H-he’s going to kill Caden and the others.

Nole straightened his aim, fully prepared to take the shot, but he couldn’t follow through. He reminisced of Murphy’s body, and flicked his eyes toward Bellamy’s corpse. He knew very well that Ryker would kill them all, even Hadley, if he didn’t shoot him right then and there. No one would be spared; not his friends or his family.

Family.

The horrifying image of Nole’s mother in the living room clouded his thoughts.

She died because of people like him, he justified. I can protect them if I just shoot. Hadley told me to take the shot. Caden will come home when he finds out I didn’t kill Murphy. I won’t be a… Nole thought back to the night before, when he was inside Central Station with Caden, when his brother asked him if he was a murderer.

No.

I’m no murderer, he thought, loosening his grip on the handle of the gun. I won’t be the reason Captain Hadley dies. Even with scum like Ryker, I won’t take someone else’s life.

To Ryker’s delight, Nole lowered his weapon.

“N-no!” Hadley wheezed, trying to make him reconsider, but it was too late.

“Don’t worry,” Ryker relished. “I think I’m going to use you both. You’re going to get me close to that troublesome Maddox, so you won’t be dying just yet Hadley. And you Nole, you’re going to be the bait.”