Captain Joseph Yilmaz was many things to the members of the 8th Bane City Police District – leader, patron, and mentor. His bald head and clean-shaven face made him look authoritative and influential. However, his real power was in his eyes.
Captain Joseph Yilmaz had large, piercing brown eyes that expressed an astonishingly wide range of emotions, including rage. The web of lines that spread out from the edge of his eyes indicated his advanced age but also tightened or twisted anytime he smiled or felt sorry.
One look at Joseph and most people saw a father. Loving and kind but quick to intense anger. While Joseph was like a father to most of the young officers of the eighth precinct, he had, in recent times, become a terror in Kia's life.
Even before the terrible events of that fateful night, he had always seen her as a weak link in the unit. The events of that night only made things worse as it seemed to prove an opinion he had held from the very moment he saw her – she wasn't cut out for police work.
In his defense, most people would make the same conclusion from looking at her. Kia wasn't a physically imposing woman. No, not by a long shot. She was a light little thing, barely meeting the height and weight requirements of the force. In fact, under the old regulations, she wouldn't have made the cut at all.
She had gotten on the force due to a sheer lack of will and dedication. And to stay on the force, she forced herself to work as hard as she could. The result of her hard work was a strong and tightly toned body. However, despite her hard work, she was still a tiny lady.
She was strong, fast, and an excellent markswoman. Her punches were quick and stunning, and her kicks were enough to knock out a lightweight man. But when push came to shove, as it tended to do in police work, Kia found herself struggling to push or shove. Every now and then, it came down to size really mattering, and she just simply didn't have it.
Yilmaz saw this, and it was for this reason that he disliked her greatly. A unit is only as strong as its weakest link. And Kia was one hell of a weak link. The events of that terrible night turned her from a weak link to a broken link in his eyes, earning her even more of his dislike and harsh judgment.
She saluted, trying to look as staunch and confident as possible. It didn't work. He saluted back casually, his arm coming down with little effort like he was giving her a dismissive wave.
"Good morning, Captain."
"Sit down, Kia," he said in a flat tone.
Kia obeyed and waited patiently as he read a report hurriedly before appending his signature.
"How are you doing?" He finally asked as he pulled off his spectacles and dropped them on the table.
"Good sir. I feel great."
"Are you sure? You can always take some more time off."
"I'm okay. I have been cleared for active field duty."
"Yes. You told me the very day it happened. I know you want to get back out there but it's not going to happen anytime soon."
"Why not?"
"Why?"
"Yes sir. I would like to know why," Kia said, pressing on even as she began to regret it. This was way worse than getting up on her desk and shouting at everyone at the office.
The captain stared at her with his large, piercing eyes, his face squeezed slightly in disgust and anger.
"Fine, I will tell you why. You can't do this job. I believe I have said this before but somehow I find myself saying it again and again."
"I messed up one time," Kia said under her breath, loud enough for him to hear.
"'But it is more than one time. You mess up every damn time. Only thing is, Jean is usually there to protect you. And you are always smart enough to let him. But that night, you messed up big. Ran in there like a hero. Jean wasn't there to save you. And when you messed up as you usual do, you were forced to fa..," Joseph stopped. He blinked and shook his head like a man waking up from a dream. In that moment, he realized how far he had crossed the line of scolding into the realm of meanness.
She could see in his eyes that he regretted the words he had said. And for a brief second, he considered apologizing. But his pride got the better of him. He cleared his throat and continued.
"What happened that night is a shame. A crying shame. It should never have happened."
Kia couldn't tell if he was once again blaming her.
"But it did and we have to find a way forward. I can't fire you Kia. Not with the amount of press your case has gotten. The media would come for me. But if you were to resign, everyone would understand. It would be better for everyone involved."
Yilmaz paused. He read the look on her face, gauging her reception. She gave him no clues. Instead, she stared at him blankly, keeping all her thoughts and emotions in, even as they raged.
"You can go on the TV shows, write a book or start a foundation. You know, help other women like you and stuff. You would be doing more good that way than staying on the force."
Kia kept staring blankly at him. She let his words roll over her skin, which had been forced to turn thick over the years. Believing that she wasn't listening, Captain Yilmaz decided to stop talking.
A long second of silence passed before he spoke again.
"Are you listening to me at all?"
"Yes, sir?"
"So?"
"I would like to get back to work, sir," she said as politely as she could, even though she hated his guts.
Yilmaz shook his head in disappointment. "As stubborn as a rock," he commented as he picked up a file and handed it over to her. "We can't keep you at your desk forever. That's your next case."
Kia's eyes widened with joy. After two months of desk duty, she was itching to get back out there. She flipped the file open with joy. However, one look at the file, and her face fell.
"Sir?" She said, looking up at the captain in horror.
"Problem?"
"This," she said as she began to read. "The Bargarattis'?"
"Yes. That's your next case. You said you can do this job right? Well, that's the job. Or have you changed your mind."
"No sir," Kia said confidently.
"Good. You can leave."
Kia sprung to her feet with false enthusiasm, bowed slightly, and left.
As soon as she was out of the door, her shoulders slumped as her heart sank into dismay. Over her years on the force, there have been many situations in which things had come down to push or shove. She had always managed to wiggle her way out of those situations. But this time, it came down to death or run. There was no room for wiggling out. Kia didn't want to run. But dying wasn't high on her to-do list either. That left surviving. But was that even possible?