Chapter Text
2.17 AM
The streets were too quiet for Los Angeles. A flickering streetlight, the Low hum of a city that never really slept, just slowed down. Traffic thinned, noise pulled back.
Oscar walked down the streets like he had nowhere to be. He pressed a hand briefly against his side, jaw tightening. Not injured but just worn down. His clothes were creased—collar slightly off, like he'd been wearing those clothes since the Dinosaur Age.
His eyes moved down the street, and then he put his hands in his pocket only to realise his pockets came up empty again.
"Of Course", he muttered.
As Oscar walked up ahead, he spotted a convenience store which was surprisingly open.
Oscar stared at it for a second longer than necessary.
"Well, I guess I have no choice", he said to himself.
Oscar's eyes drifted past the glow of the store and landed on a dented Garbage Can near the curb. The lid hung half-open, and as he stepped closer, nudging it aside, he saw a knife, dull-edged, stained, the kind no one kept unless they had a better option. Then he picked it up anyway and slipped it inside his jacket.
"Yeah..this will do", he exhaled.
The bell above the door gave a tired chime as Oscar pushed it open.
The light hit him all at once. Too bright, too clean. It flattened everything for him.
He paused just inside and let his eyes adjust.
Behind the counter, the cashier didn't bother looking up as if it was very common for him to see customers entering the store at unusual times.
"Welcome", the cashier said, though he clearly didn't mean it and was busy watching some brain-rot videos of a kid doing 67.
Oscar stepped further in, the door swinging shut behind him with a soft click.
He moved down the first aisle slowly as if he was here to buy something.
His hand brushed briefly against his jacket.
Still There.
After roaming for like 10 minutes, Oscar had enough and walked over to the counter.
He rested one hand on the counter while the other hand held the knife, which he was hiding under his jacket. He just leaned enough to close the space.
"Hey", he said.
The Cashier blinked, completely irritated by the fact that Oscar had disturbed him while he was lost watching the 67 brain-rot videos.
"Yeah?"
Oscar held his gaze
He didn't smile
"I need you to open the register and give all the cash you got", he said to the cashier.
At first, the cashier laughed and thought it was a joke
"You serious right now?" shaking his head
Oscar was in no mood to joke around and immediately pulled out the knife and positioned it on the cashier's throat
"You still think I'm joking?" he said as he pushed the knife closer towards the cashier's throat.
The cashier immediately gave up and agreed to open the register
"Hey, man, I—I don’t want any trouble—"
"Good," Oscar cut in quietly. "Then don't make any."
A second passed.
Then—
The register clicked open.
Oscar scooped the cash in one sweep, stuffing it into his jacket without bothering to count.
“Stay down,” he muttered, already stepping back.
The cashier didn't dare to argue.
Oscar turned and moved for the door, pace quick but controlled—just shy of running. The bell above it chimed again as he pushed through, the sound echoing too loudly in the otherwise empty street.
Two steps in, his right knee buckled just enough to throw him off rhythm. Not a fall—just a hitch. A sharp reminder that his body wasn’t keeping up.
“—damn it,” he breathed under his breath.
He pushed through it and forced his pace faster. Each Step hit unevenly, weight shifting wrong, like the joint might give if he pushed too hard.
Meanwhile, back at the store, the cashier slowly and carefully reached under the counter.
His fingers were trembling from what had happened, and then he pressed a silent alarm which would notify the patrol.
2:40AM
The streets were nearly empty, the kind of quiet that made every passing car sound louder than it should.
Inside the cruiser, Nolan tapped the steering wheel lightly as they rolled through an intersection
"So", he said, glancing sideways towards Celina while making a right turn
"On a scale of one to ten- how convinced are you that something weird is going to happen tonight?"
Celina looked towards Nolan and then again looked straight
"I don't do numbers," she said casually.
"You don't do-numbers?"
"I go off energy", she smiled and looked at Nolan.
"Of course! ugh- how did I forget? Should've seen that coming"
Celina then, with a hint of a smile, continued
"And right now? The energy is...off"
"How off?" Nolan asked.
"0 percent and I'm sure about it", she said.
That's when the radio cracked to life
“All units, stand by for a silent alarm.” Dispatch announced on the radio
Nolan slowly turned towards Celina and laughed
"Yeah, well, next time the universe could try doing that during the day shift,” he said.
Nolan grabbed his radio and listened to the details given by Dispatch
“7-Adam-19, respond to a robbery in progress. Silent alarm triggered at QuickStop Convenience, 5th Street and Maple Avenue. Suspect possibly still on scene.”
Nolan picked up his radio and responded
"7-Adam-19, Copy. En Route."
Nolan flipped the lights on and surged forward, cutting through the quiet streets.
2:45AM
The cruiser rolled to a stop just short of the store, headlights cutting across the empty street.
Nolan killed the engine but didn’t get out immediately, eyes already scanning the surroundings.
"Lights are still on", he said.
"No Broken glass. No movement." Celina said.
"Stay Sharp" Nolan said as they got out of the shop.
The store sat under harsh fluorescent light, looking almost untouched, like nothing had happened.
Nolan approached first, one hand resting near his belt, eyes flicking to the windows, then the door. Celina moved alongside him, scanning the street instead of the store.
“Where’s the suspect supposed to be?” she muttered.
"'Possibly on scene’ usually means ‘already gone,’” Nolan replied.
They reached the entrance.
Nolan pushed it open slowly, and the bell rang
Inside, the cashier stood behind the counter, hiding
“LAPD. You hit the alarm?" As Nolan stepped in.
The cashier nodded quickly. “Yeah—yeah, he just left. Like—five minutes ago.”
Celina turned immediately, looking back toward the street and scanning the surroundings
"Which way did the suspect go?" Nolan asked the cashier.
The cashier pointed toward the downside of the road.
"That way—he ran. Not fast though… something was off.”
Nolan grabbed his radio and called in
"Dispatch, this is Officer John Nolan. Our suspect is possibly injured"
Nolan and Celina got back in their shop and started to move in the direction the cashier said
As they were starting to lose hope, they saw the suspect (Oscar) running and limping.
"There's our guy", Celina says.
Nolan turns on the siren and lights
Oscar sees the cops closing in on him and tries his best to run away
But Nolan sees the suspect's move, and as he gets closer, he just opens his door, banging it on his back and making him fall on ground.
Oscar feels the door hitting on his back, making him fall down on the ground with the money falling out of his jacket pockets.
"Stay down and hands behind you, ba- wait a minute", as Nolan approaches the suspect
And Oscar, while lying on the ground, turns his head back, facing towards Nolan
"Oscar? You son of a bitch" Nolan clearly pissed.
"Missed me?" he muttered, not even trying to get up
"Hands behind your back. NOW," Nolan said.
Oscar shifted slightly, wincing as his right knee protested.
"Seriously? You robbed a convenience store?" Celina muttered.
"Hey, times are tough. Don't Judge?" he said.
"Yeah? Could've fooled me," as Celina raised an eyebrow
After Nolan snapped the cuffs onto Oscar's wrists and put him at the backside of the shop.
Nolan is driving back to the station, taking Oscar where he is missed
"Well, your friends in prison must be missing you"
"I don't have or keep Friends, John", he said.
"Oscar, Mind telling me why you got out of Prison?"
Oscar clearly ignored Nolan's question and decided it was best if he kept his mouth shut and not complicate things for himself.
“Alright,” he said. “Keep it to yourself.”
"Don't worry, Oscar, tomorrow they'll be transferring you back to US Penitentiary, Victorville", Nolan stated.
Oscar rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed by the fact that he was being transferred to the same prison from where he escaped.
“Of course it is.”
Celina glanced back. “You’ve been there before?”
Oscar gave a dry smile.
“Let’s just say… they know me.”
Nolan smirked faintly. “Yeah. That’s kind of the problem.”
"Can't I be transferred to any other prison? New scenery, new people… you know. Growth."
Nolan didn’t miss a beat.
“Why?” he said. “That place is basically your home.”
Oscar let out a short, humourless laugh.
"Trust me, if that was home...I wouldn't have left."
Silence settled again in the shop as Celina frowned while Nolan glanced at Oscar, studying him.
Oscar’s lips curved faintly again, like he knew exactly what they were thinking.
And for the first time-
He didn't bother hiding it.
Next Day
Morning came too fast.
The station was already alive with phones ringing, officers moving in and out, the usual noise filling the space like nothing had happened the night before.
Sergeant Chen stood in the Watch Commander's Office, sitting in front of Tim, reading the arrest report.
“Convenience store robbery,” she said, almost to herself. “No weapon shown, suspect injured, minimal resistance…”
She looks at Tim
"Well, Nolan's Beloved Oscar has changed his usual pattern?"
Tim, who was leaning in his chair behind the desk, said
"Or, it is now?"
Lucy shook her head as she thought this was some kind of Oscar's plan again.
"He's planning something. I feel it."
Tim gives Lucy a stare
"You feel it? God, please don't act like Celina"
Lucy smiles and rolls her eyes as she continues to read the arrest report
That's when Nolan and Celina came by as they were gonna clock out and head home, but thought passing by would be best.
Tim notices both Celina and Nolan walking in
"You Two Good?"
"Yeah, Officer Juarez and I both are fine"
Celina added, "Oscar could barely run. He was limping, breathing heavy...didn't look like he had eaten anything in days"
"Well, he's the same age as Nolan, what do you expect?"
Lucy smacked Tim's arm and gave those angry eyes
"Better Apologise," she says
"For WHAT? I said what I said!"
Getting back to Oscar's topic, Nolan added that he tried asking Oscar why he escaped the prison, but Oscar never answered his question
“Doesn’t matter. He’s going back.” Tim exhaled.
"Is he going back to Victorville?" Lucy asked
"Yeah," Nolan replied.
"Well i'll go with the escort team", Lucy insisted
"No- why would you-" Tim cut in, frowning slightly
“Maybe,” she said evenly. “But it’s Oscar. He escaped once. I’m not taking chances on ‘routine.’”
Tim shook his head. “We’ve got a full escort team for that exact reason.”
“And I want eyes on it,” Lucy replied, tone calm but firm. “From start to finish.”
Tim knew he could not win an argument against The Fist of Justice, Lucy Chen
“You don’t trust the team?” he asked.
“I trust them,” she says
A pause
"Just not him."
From the side, Nolan shifted slightly, glancing between them
“She’s not wrong,” he added. “Guy didn’t act like someone who just got picked up off the street.”
Tim exhaled through his nose, considering it.
“Still feels like overkill,” he muttered.
Lucy didn't respond
Then Tim nodded
“Fine,” he said. “You go. But you’re not taking over the op—you’re observing. Clear?”
"Clear", she said.
“And if anything even looks off—” Tim pointed slightly
“It won’t,” Lucy said. Completely shutting Tim down.
“Alright,” he said. “I’ll notify the transport team.”
Sergeant Chen stepped into the holding cell area to escort Oscar and load him into the Van.
Oscar was sitting on the bench, elbows on his knees and head slightly lowered
Lucy studied him and said
“Convenience store? Seriously?” she said. “That’s new.”
“People change,” he said.
Lucy let out a small breath. “No. They don’t. They just run out of options.”
Oscar lifted his head slightly, glancing at her.
“You are always this optimistic, Sergeant Chen?"
“Why’d you leave Victorville?” she asked.
Oscar leaned back against the wall, eyes drifting past her like the question didn’t matter.
“Didn’t like the food.”
“Yeah,” she said. “I’m sure that’s it.”
"Come On get up, it's time to transfer you back to your Home"
But then an officer called from behind her.
"Sergeant Chen"
Lucy turned slightly. “Yeah?”
“There’s a call,” he said. “Someone asking for him (Oscar)”
Lucy frowned. “For Oscar?”
The officer nodded. “Says it’s important"
Lucy looked back at Oscar as he was already smiling
Lucy turned back to Oscar, studying him a second longer.
“Expecting a call?” she asked.
Oscar’s lips curved just slightly.
“Took them long enough.”
The interrogation room felt tighter than it should have.
Sergeant Chen stood by the wall, arms crossed, watching as the phone was set down on the table
While Oscar sat in cuffs, posture relaxed.
"Make it quick", she said.
Oscar picked up the call while Lucy didn't have access and couldnt hear who was the person on the other side.
Call Conversation
Oscar : "Yeah"
a voice on the other end. Which was calm.
?? : “Hello, Oscar.”
Oscar’s expression didn’t change much.
Oscar : “Took you long enough,”
?? : “I needed to be sure,”
?? : “You are exactly where you need to be.”
Oscar (smiles) : “Yeah? And where's that?”
?? : “A few hours away from freedom.”
Oscar (low tone) : “I’m listening.”
?? : “There will be a transfer, you already know this”
Oscar : "Victorville"
?? : "Correct"
Oscar : So?
?? : “What happens next, will not happen here”
Oscar : "So where?"
?? : "Be Ready"
Oscar : “Alright, what's the catch?”
?? : "Only a return"
Oscar : “What kind of return?”
?? : “When the time comes, you'll know"
Oscar : "You've got yourself a deal"
?? : "See You Soon"
The line went dead
Across the room, Lucy stepped forward slightly.
“Who was that?” she asked.
"My Daughter", Oscar clearly lying.
"Oh-yeah? Enough of this bullshit."
Lucy grabs him by his arm, lifting him and throwing him in the back of the Escort Van with 3-armed guards as she slams the door, closing it.
On the way to Victorville
Lucy was alone in her shop as she drove right behind the Escort Van, keeping her eyes locked. Her grip was tight on the steering wheel as the convoy pulled out onto the open road
Lucy stayed close behind, maintaining distance, but never letting the van out of sight.
The Road stretched long and empty as the city slowly faded in the rearview mirrors as they moved through the desert highway.
Despite Lucy being fully focused on the Escort Van, she glanced around and felt a rare sense of calm wash over her. The steady hum of the tyres and the endless horizon of the desert made everything feel slower, almost still. For a moment, she felt like the weight she carried seemed lighter, replaced by the quiet rhythm of the road and the vast, open silence surrounding her.
"Wow, it's actually...peaceful out here", she said.
"No LA traffic..no noise..just this", She let one hand rest slightly on the wheel, glancing at the wide, empty horizon.
Lucy again focused on the Escort Van, and that's when she says two cars, steady, unassuming and keeping a normal distance.
"Probably just some travellers..." she murmured as she drifted her focus in front again.
Suddenly, Lucy's eyes flicked from the road to the dashboard as her phone lit up in the phone holder
It was Tim
She tapped it and put it on speaker
Lucy : "Hey"
Tim's voice came through immediately. He sounded stressed
Tim : "Hey...you okay?"
Lucy : "Yeah..I'm good. You sound stressed. Everything ok?"
Tim : "No-i'm fine i'm totally-"
Lucy : "Tim, don't lie to me. What's the matter?"
Tim : "I'm sorry.. it's ugh I'm just-"
Tim : “I don’t like this, Lucy.”
Lucy : “You don’t like what?”
Tim: “You being out there alone like this… especially right now. It doesn’t sit right with me.”
Lucy let out a small, almost amused exhale
Lucy : “You worry too much.”
Lucy : “But I’m okay, Tim. I’m not alone out here—I've got everything handled.”
Lucy looked in her side mirrors, and the two cars which were behind her were gone.
Lucy : "Tim-"
Tim : "What's the matter, Lucy?"
Lucy : "Tim, there were—”
Before she could finish, headlights flared. A black SUV surged forward from the blind spot, slamming into the backside of her shop. The jolt threw her sideways, her radio clattering to the floor.
Meanwhile, Tim heard the same disturbance and kept screaming through the phone
Tim : "LUCY? What's happening?"
Lucy : "There are two cars and one of them just rammed into the backside of my sho-"
Her words were shredded by another violent jolt. The same black SUV slammed into her rear bumper, the force snapping her head forward against the seatbelt. The steering wheel jerked in her hands, tyres screaming as the connection was lost and the call was hung up
"DAMN IT", Tim screamed as he notified dispatch, attached additional units and notified the FBI too. He himself got into a police helicopter and was trying to reach as soon as possible.
With another slam on her shop's bumper, Lucy went off the road, still having her hands on the wheel as the second Black SUV closed on the Escort Van.
Lucy firstly gained control and started offroading, showing her driving skills, which Tim had taught her and rolled right beside the car, which slammed her from behind and pulled out her gun and aimed for its Tires
One of her bullets struck the alloy of the Black SUV's tyre, losing control. Lucy saw the opportunity and immediately turned her steering to the right, crashing her shop with the SUV as they both were now next to each other.
Suddenly, a man burst through the SUV’s sunroof, vaulting onto Lucy’s roof. She jerked the wheel, trying to shake him loose, but he clung tight, crawling toward the passenger side.
The door ripped open. He dropped inside, as his boot connected with Lucy’s face in a vicious kick, which made Lucy lose control of the steering wheel.
Lucy’s head snapped sideways from the kick, stars bursting in her vision. She grunted, twisting the wheel to keep the shop steady as the man lunged across the passenger seat.
She jammed her elbow back, catching him in the ribs, but he swung again, knuckles grazing her jaw. The SUV beside her scraped metal, trying to force her off the dirt track. While up ahead, the second SUV slammed into the Escort Van, its reinforced bumper crunching against steel.
The Sky roared as, in the middle of a fight with the man, she spotted a....HELICOPTER?
The helicopter swept in low, rotors chopping the air. Its nose dipped, tracer fire streaking toward the lead escort SUV. Bullets shattered the windshield, sparks spraying as the vehicle veered off the road.
Lucy ducked as the man swung again, her gun still clutched in her right hand. She shoved the barrel upward, pressing it against his shoulder.
She fired. The shot blew through the roof panel, and the man recoiled with a scream. He tumbled halfway out the passenger door, clinging desperately as Lucy jerked the wheel, trying to shake him loose.
"AHHH- what the fuck?!" he screamed.
Lucy then positioned her legs towards him and kicked hard on his stomach, which pushed him out of her shop as he was seen rolling down the road.
But suddenly Lucy heard an explosion ripping through air. She snapped her head forward to see the first Escort Convoy SUV engulfed in fire, as it skidded off the road in a plume of smoke.
Her stomach dropped as that meant it was her and the escort van which was left.
Lucy slammed the accelerator, dirt spraying as she fought to close the gap with the van. The black SUV beside her swerved, trying to pin her down, but she jerked the wheel, forcing space between them.
As Lucy tried to slam the Second and the last SUV off the balance, the helicopter shot bullets which sparked off her hood, glass cracking.
The Helicopter then aimed for the tyres of the Escort Van, and within a few bullets, they managed to deflate the Van's tyres, which made the Van skid sideways across the dirt road. Guards inside screamed as the Van lost traction.
Lucy’s eyes widened as the van tipped, momentum carrying it over. Metal shrieked, glass shattered, and the van rolled—once, twice—before crashing onto its side with a thunderous slam. Inside, deputies were thrown against steel walls, groaning in pain as restraints snapped and weapons scattered. One guard clutched his shoulder, another cried out, blood streaking down his forehead. Amid the chaos, Oscar Hutchinson laughed, his voice echoing through the wreckage
Oscar, in pain, staggered upright. His grin twisted as he snatched a fallen deputy’s sidearm. Without hesitation, he opened fire inside the wrecked van, shots echoing as guards cried out. Blood sprayed, bodies slumped—the escort detail was wiped out in seconds. The first SUV screeched to a halt in front of the van. Its doors flew open, masked men spilling out, yanking at the rear latch. The van’s back door groaned, then swung wide, exposing Oscar to the open air.
Lucy’s heart pounded. She floored the accelerator, her shop roaring forward to intercept. But the black SUV that had been dogging her swerved hard, cutting across her path. It slammed into her side, metal crunching, forcing her off balance, but the SUV rammed once more—this time with brutal precision.
"NO-" she screamed.
As her shop tipped, momentum carried it over. Glass shattered, the world flipping as Lucy’s vehicle rolled, finally crashing upside down with a sickening thud.
Lucy hung suspended by her seatbelt, blood trickling down her forehead. Through the cracked windshield, she saw the helicopter landing and masked men boarding it.
She clawed at the buckle, desperate to free herself, but it wouldn’t budge. Her legs were pinned under twisted metal, every movement sending pain shooting through her body. Oscar was walking towards her, slow and deliberate, a gun still clutched in his hand. His grin was wide, feral, and his eyes alive with the thrill of chaos.
He crouched down beside her overturned shop, peering through the shattered glass
"Well, well...well, Sergeant Chen. Looks like the tables have turned, huh?" he said.
Lucy glared at him, blood streaking her temple, refusing to show fear. But the pain was tolling on her, pushing her toward unconsciousness.
Oscar tilted his head, almost amused
"You fought hard. You have my respect for that. But honestly, you should've just stayed out of my way."
"Stop with this bullshit talk and pull the damn trigger," she said in pain.
"Nuh-uh. That's too easy. You think I'd waste a moment like this by ending it this quickly?"
"No, Sergeant Chen..I want you to live with this. To remember the day you failed. The day you watched me walk free while your people bled out and died in the dirt," he said.
The helicopter’s rotors thundered louder, dust whipping around them. Oscar straightened, tapping the barrel of his gun against the wreckage one last time.
"I'll see you around, Sergeant Chen. If you... manage to stay alive"
Oscar laughs as he walks towards the helicopter and escapes from the scene.
After a few minutes, Lucy finally managed to unbuckle herself, her body trembling from the effort. She crawled out of the overturned shop, glass crunching beneath her palms. Blood streaked her forehead, and shards of glass were embedded in her side, each movement sending waves of pain through her stomach.
She collapsed beside the wreck, gasping. The world spun around her-the helicopter fading into the distance, the dust settling over the battlefield. She pressed her hand weakly against her side, feeling the sharp edges of glass lodged deep, but her strength was gone.
Moments Later
The cavalry arrived, sirens wailed as ground units stormed in, and tyres screeched to a halt. Two Police Helicopters descended overhead, rotors chopping the air.
From one of them, Tim leapt out the moment it touched down. His boots hit the dirt hard, his eyes scanning the wreckage until they locked on Lucy's motionless form beside the overturned shop.
Tim's heart clenched. He sprinted towards her, dropping to his knees.
"Lucy!" he shouted.
He saw the glass shards embedded in her side, blood soaking the uniform. His hands hovered, desperate but careful, afraid to do more damage.
"Lucy, stay with me. Stay with me. We are taking you to the hospital ok?"
Her eyelids fluttered, a faint groan escaping her lips, but she couldn’t form words. Tim leaned closer, his voice steady but urgent.
Tim: “Don’t move. Just breathe."
Tim slid one arm under her shoulders, the other bracing her legs, lifting her carefully from the dirt. She was light in his arms, but the weight of her injuries pressed heavily on him. He immediately took her and boarded the helicopter. He climbed in, laying Lucy gently across the bench seat, his hand never leaving her arm.
"You're Alright. Just hold on. I've got you"
The door slammed shut, the helicopter lifted, and the ground fell away. Tim stayed beside her, steadying her head as the vibration rattled through the cabin. He kept his voice low, clipped, but constant—anchoring her against the pull of unconsciousness.
Meanwhile
Almost three hours later, the helicopter touched down on a rooftop helipad, its motors slowing. Oscar stepped out last, his boots hitting the concrete with deliberate weight.
He squinted against the floodlights, scanning the rooftop. That’s when he saw someone standing at the far edge—hands tucked casually into their pockets, posture calm, almost expectant.
"Well, that was one hell of a pickup", he said.
"Took you long enough", ?? said,
“Yeah, well… not exactly a smooth exit.”
"Hmm, how does freedom feel?"
"Good, glad to be free again. Thank god"
"Well, for now keep a low profile" , ?? said.
"Sure, so what's next?" Oscar asked.
“Let’s get things started...shall we? We have a lot to plan.”, ?? laughed and started walking inside.