The sound of metal clinging together rung inside Nora Raider's ears. Her tense and full of pain body denied her access to get up. Her fight with her inmates last night really wore her out. Thoughts spiraled around her mind wondering if the next thirty-five years were ever gonna get any easier. The guard’s loud and obnoxious voice was heard causing Nora’s eyes to open. “Get up Raider!” Th guard yelled. Nora grunted and continued to lay on the single, thin, matress cot. “Raider, don’t make me come in there.” The guard boomed. “What’s the reason I gotta get up now? Yesterday, it was to fight off the so called “big and scary” Abigail, and last night, to beat the daylights out of my inmates.” Nora said. “No fight today. You’re being released.” Nora flung herself up. She glared at the guard for a good ten seconds, then bursted out laughing. “I’m not so sure that’s possible. You see, I killed a person, and robbed a bank. I got sentenced 40 years without bail, and I’ve only served five.” Nora stated. She walks up to the cell door. “You do the math.” She added. “Well Raider, it’s your lucky day. They found evidence that you were falsely convicted. So all charges were dropped as of this morning. So everything you said to your inmates was the truth.” The guard said. She took the keys off her belt and unlocked the door. “Come on, the rest of your life awaits you.” They started walking towards the office area. The other prisoners booed and shouted but Nora just kept her head down and continued walking. “Personal belongings for Nora Raider, prisoner 358972.” The guard said to the lady at the front desk. Nora’s mind continued to spiral around. What if this is all a trap? What if the people who blackmailed me are on the other side of that gate? The guard handed her an orange paper bag with her things and a change of cloths and walked away. She made her way the the front gate, opening the orange bag wondering of the continents it contains. “Alright, let’s see. Gun, license, and car keys. Car keys? I don’t own a car.” She said to herself. As she was officially out of the prison joint, she looked around for someone to pick her up, but there was no one. Nora continued to stand there in confusion for five minutes. She sighed and started walking down the road. I get released due to false conviction and there is no one to pick me up? If that isn’t suspicious then I don’t know what is. Why couldn’t there have been a phone in the bag instead of someone else’s car keys. Would’ve made this moment so much easier. Nora’s thoughts got interrupted by a lady’s voice. “Hey lady, this is private government property, get lost!” She yelled from the top of the watch tower by the exit gate. Nora continued down the street hoping to hitch a ride or find a town near by. As Nora walked, her mind focused on one thing and one thing only. Her friend, Michael Cabot. Michael was not only Nora’s friend, he was her partner at the last presict she worked at before she got arrested. They got pretty close. They tried going out a few times but decided it was best to just stay friends. Besides, being in a realatonship would just ruin there partnership. Before Nora got arrested, Michael was murdered in his apartment. She was the one to find him laying on the floor in the living room, in a pool of his own blood. She cried for days and wasn’t able to solve another case after that. She tried searching for the person who killed him but the investigation always came to a dead end. She always had her suspicions about people. For one man especially. Stuart Hansen, who was one of Nora's old highschool pals. Besides knowning each other in highschool, they didn't exactly know each other. All Nora really knew about him was that he is a bad person with a hell'uva criminal record. "Are you Nora Raider?" a man said from behind Nora. She turned around to see a man in a suit and tie with his black hair slick back. "Depends. Who's asking?" she replied. The man took a step foward and took out a peice of paper. "I have a form from the court for your release." He replied. Nora scuffed. "You're about 2 hours late man." She said as she continues walking.
"I realize this.... Dwyatt has asked me to come pick you up."
"Wait, Dwyatt? You mean my cousin?" The man nodds and follows after Nora. "And let me guess, I am to be brought straight to him. No, no. He is the same guy who locked me up in this hell hole, there is no way I am returning to him'"
"He wants to apoligize." Nora stopped suddenly in her tracks. She whips herself around, and bursts out laughing. "That's hilarious. Do you even know my cousin?" she asks. He nodds and pulls out a wallet. Nora opens it. A flashy badge and ID was revealed.
"Your cousin and I are partners on a special task force called the Agency of Crime Intelligance, or for short, ACI. And we might have a lead on the last case you were woking on." He said. "Ok. What kind of a lead?" She asked. She took a step forward. The attention Nora gave the man, seemed like it could never be broken.
"I'll give you more details in the car. Dwyatt won't be happy if we show up late."
"You, were late to show up here, so you're already 2 hours late."
"Get in the car Nora." Nora rolled her eyes, and got into the car, still quite suspicous and curious. The drive to Dwyatt's house in Florida was long and quiet. No one said a word. Seth didn't want to say anything because he saw Nora was deep in thought and didn't want to interrupt. Seth also feared if he said anything, Nora would just strangle him. Not that he was scared of her, but the stories Dwyatt told him of her, made his skin crawl a little. Nora didn't say anything because her thoughts began to cloud her vision. Her cousin put her in prison because he was convinced it was her. Not because all the evidence led to her, but because he has allows had a grudge against her, and she never knew why. Since that day in court, when Dwyatt testifyed against her, she's asked herself one question over and over again, why was he so convinced? Yes, Nora was a crazy child and did some weird stuff, but she would never hurt her friend. Dwyatt got the wrong impression. Back in middle school, Dwyatt was a tall, handsome, young man who was selfless and cared for all, but his cousin. Ever since Dwyatt's parents, Kelly and Adam, took her in. They decided to take her in when Nora's parents got murdered in LA during a bussiness trip. In Dwyatt's eyes, Nora was loved more by hs parents. What Dwyatt didn't know was, Nora gave them hell. One summer break she started doing drugs, so they kicked her out of the house to live on the streets. Kelly and Adam told Dwyatt that she was sent off to live with her grandparents because they wanted a turn with her. Dwyatt felt so left out and jelous. Since then, Dwyatt has had a personal vendetta against Nora, but decided to give it a break because he discovered she was indeed falsely accused of a crime she did not commit, and decided to give her a second chance. Dwyatt was sitting at his desk, thinking of a way he was going to apologize to Nora. He had been so harsh and cruel to her in the past few years, he doubted she would grant him her forgiveness, and he knew all that he could do, is ask for it. Dwyatt gets up from his chair, and walks out of his office. Jackson and Kaden, two of the newest recruits for the ACI, were sitting outside of his office for the past hour and a half concerned of their bosses behavior. Dwyatt didn"t seem to notice due to his preoccupied brain.
"Sir? Sorry to interrupt, but Kaden and I are really really concerned of your silence. Are you okay?" Jackson asked. Kaden looked at Jackson, as if he said something wrong. Dwyatt took out his phone as if he didn't hear what Jackson said. "It's 5 o'clock." He grabbed his car keys from his office and ran out to his car. "Was it something I said?" Jackson asked himself. Kaden just shrugged and continued back to his work. In a hurry, Dwyatt sped off of the presincts preperty. The meeting he had planned with the mayor was urgent. Dwyatt had no clue what the meeting could be about, he just knew that Mayor Janiss said it was absolutely necessary. Dwyatt thought to himself, what if it is about Nora? He knew for a fact that she was never really guilty, but she has done some things in the past that he finds troubling, and maybe the mayor does too.
"I'm here to see the mayor." Dwyatt said to the lady at the front desk. She nodds and walks to the door behind her. Before she had the chance to open it the door flug open nearky hitting the lady.
"Ah Dwyatt, so good to see you again." A woman says as she walks out of the office. Dwyatt rolls his eyes but still proceeds to give her a hug. "Come into my office and we can talk business."
