Chapter 9

November Sixteenth

Patrol officer Maria Ramirez slumped over the steering wheel of her cruiser. Only four hours into her shift and she was already exhausted. Taking care of her newborn and working full time left her precious few opportunities for sleep. At least the Philadelphia PD had been understanding, allowing her to work from eight at night until four in the morning so that she could be with her child during the day. The price of their accommodation had been a transfer to the fourth district, and an assignment that consisted mainly of checking and rechecking the warehouses in the district for break-ins. She pulled the car to a stop along the side of South Delaware Avenue next to the Penn Warehouse. Yawning widely, she grabbed her flashlight and exited the car to do her duty.

Just down the street, there were two men arguing in front of a physical therapy office. She paid them little mind. They were conservatively dressed and clean cut, almost certainly military. Not the sort that caused trouble. She thought nothing of it when one of them began walking behind her with the other following reluctantly a moment later.

They were still behind her after she walked down Jackson and turned to patrol along the side of the warehouse that fronted the river. There was usually a truck or two being loaded, even this late, but tonight there were none. She and the men behind her were the only people in sight. Despite herself, her breathing quickened as she hurried along, rapidly playing her flashlight over the loading docks. The massive warehouse blocked most of the noise from the city with the result that she could clearly hear their footfalls behind her.

She cringed when one of the men called out, "Looking good there, babe in blue. Got a boyfriend?"

"No," she yelled back over her shoulder, struggling to maintain a calm she didn't feel. "I'm not looking for one either, so how about the two of you just move along?"

She heard one set of footsteps quicken and approach her rapidly. Fighting hard against the instinctive urge to run, she spun around, her hand dropping to her Taser.

"Stop where you are, gentlemen," she said authoritatively. "Turn around and go about your business, or there will be trouble. You don't want to spend the night in lockup."

The man that was closest to her grinned at her impishly and kept on coming.

"What if you are our business, baby?" he asked.

She drew her Taser smoothly and leveled it at his chest. "Stop now, or I will tase you," she warned.

He kept coming. She squeezed the trigger and the electrodes shot out with a puff of carbon dioxide. When he continued to stand, she held the trigger down to deliver a shock for far longer than the standard five seconds. They both stared with dismay at the wires trailing from his chest until he looked up and gave her a broad smile.

"Huh, how about that?" he said as he reached up to pull the electrodes free, "What else you got, honey?"

She reached for her sidearm. He rushed forward, closing the distance before she could clear her holster. Grabbing hold of her wrist, he bent it backward until she dropped her weapon with a cry of pain. Clamping a hand over her mouth, he twisted her arm behind her back and forced her face down onto the pavement. She struggled fiercely until he ended her resistance by raining punches down on her shoulders and the back of her head. The last of his blows forced her face into the pavement hard enough that her nose broke with a wet crunch.

The first man caught up to the struggling pair. "What the fuck do you think you're doing, Private Harris?" he hissed.

"Well, Sergeant Walker," Harris replied, heaping derision upon the other's rank, "I got tired of walking around this city with my thumb up my ass. We've been here all night and haven't done jack shit. It's time to get this party started."

"Arthur was very specific about who we should turn first," Walker said angrily. "She doesn't fit the bill."

"I don't know about that. She's a cop. That means she knows how to handle a weapon and conduct surveillance. She also said she doesn't have a boyfriend. Besides, neither of us has ever been here before. We don't know who's who or what's what. She does. She's worth changing just for the information we can get from her. Also, in case you didn't notice, Sarge, I'm not screaming like a stuck pig like you did after suggesting that we just keep driving and sit out the revolution. So, I must be doing something right."

"I don't like it..."

"I don't give a shit what you like. I'll tell you what. I'll call our supreme frickin' commander, and tell him what's going on. Let's see what he has to say about it. Hold this bitch down for a second while I make the call."

Maria tried to scream when they switched places, but Walker's hand replaced Harris' far too quickly. Walker held her somewhat more gently, but, struggle as she might, she could not break free.

Harris moved off to the side, and Maria heard him speak respectfully to someone on the phone. The conversation, conducted quietly enough that she couldn't make out the words, was over in little more than a minute.

"The boss agrees with me," Harris said smugly when he returned. "In fact, he's calling all the other teams to tell them to get someone who knows their way around before worrying about his earlier orders. Now, get off my bitch."

Walker grudgingly relinquished his spot on top of her. Again there was no chance to scream or escape. Tears rolled down Maria's face as Harris stretched his body over hers, grinding his crotch into her ample bottom.

"Mmmm, I like a bitch who's got some junk in the trunk," he whispered in her ear.

Maria could have coped with the situation if she had been able to believe that they were only going to rape her. It would be disgusting and demeaning, but she would eventually have been able to put it behind her. But they obviously wanted something from her other than her ass. They had called each other by name and showed their faces without any concern. They had apparently chosen her because she was a cop, rather than despite it. Not knowing what that something might be stripped her of her last vestiges of control.

She trembled in fear as Harris licked her from the nape of her neck to her jaw line, his tongue oddly cold against her skin.

"Damn you smell good," Harris said lustfully. "You're making me horny, baby."

"Dammit Harris," Walker complained. "There are cars driving by not a hundred yards away. Anyone could see you. Stop fucking around and change her."

"Fuck you, Sarge," Harris replied. "Why don't you go get the car. I'll be done by the time you get back."

Grumbling to himself, Walker set off to do as Harris suggested. Maria watched him go from the corners of her eyes, wondering if she was watching her last hope of salvation walk away. She also couldn't help but wonder just how they wanted to change her.