Canterlot City Police: Major Crime Task Force

Storm quietly hummed to himself as he studied the map layout of District 2 for the festival the city is hosting today. The map showed road closures, detour routes, and other plans for the days ahead. Storm needed to know this to give directions in case someone was lost.

Canterlot City is this year's destination for the End Of Summer festival. This festival moves from city to city never using the same city unless they are willing to host another year. The festival consisted of fun games, great food vendors, and live music being the star attraction. While some people think this would be great, others don’t feel the same way. Storm is one of those people.

When the festival was announced the performers were announced too. Rumors on who would be there would be speculated from websites to podcasts. Everything will be confirmed when the performers are named on the official website. Each day more and more were confirmed or denied as the festival approached.

The festival will be at the biggest park in Canterlot City, Maverick Park. Lots of acres of space, pools, and trails for walking or bikes. It’s the perfect place to relax on the
weekend during the summer or springtime.

Storm didn’t like the idea from the start. Canterlot City has done big events like this before with large crowds, but in a big place like Maverick Park will be a challenge. While school is about to start it’s nowhere close to being in session, which means high schoolers, college kids and adults will be attending the festival as well as everyone coming from out of town.

Since Storm is a part of a task force he hoped he’d get a pass for the whole thing. No, such luck. The commissioner and mayor want every available first-responding worker to be on call during the festival. Storm understood why the office shootings were fresh in everyone’s memories and why things were still a little tense downtown. Knowing security and safety are the main factors, assistance will be coming in from the county for Police, EMS, and Fire as well as a few private security teams. Also, nobody wants a repeat of what happened at Astroland a few years ago.

The city is going all out for the festival to be a success. Not only will Overtime be pretty much limitless to the first responders, but they hired multiple landscapers to work on the park and hired cleaners before, during, and after the festival to keep the park as clean as possible.

Storm tossed aside the paper in the passenger seat of the unmarked car and drove to work. Since the parking lots would be full of cars from out of town it was agreed that everyone in the squad would take an unmarked car and keep it till the end of the festival since the space will be needed in the parking lot.

While it might be embarrassing, Storm didn’t know most of the performers on the list that’s set to arrive in the next few hours. He knew a few like Terror Shot and 42 Slash. Everyone else however is unknown to him. He wasn’t old, but he was inching out of the
age range that’s defined as young.

Storm pushed those thoughts away and focused on getting to work. The drive to work was calm and peaceful. Any other day Storm would listen to music or the news, but today he was driving in pure silence. It’s 4:15 am and the streets are empty besides the early morning construction workers and long haul trucks.

In downtown decorations were placed everywhere, banners promoting all the performers and the festival were finally hung up on almost every single night post downtown as well as posters on walls of buildings. Along with barricades and detour signs on a few streets. Most likely set up a few hours ago.

When Storm arrived at the station he headed straight to the room they would be using for briefing. Inside the room was packed with officers from other departments. Nearing the back Storm found the group nearing the back.

It was an odd site to see everyone in uniform. Since the team was formed everyone dressed in pants and either a colored shirt or a collared shirt. The one who stood out the most was Clover. Her hair was normally in a ponytail, but now it’s in a tight bun. Something she hated.

“Hey guys,” Storm greeted. “How long were you guys here?”

“Just got here,” Buck answered. “We couldn’t find a spot so we were just hanging back here. I’m not looking forward to this festival. It’s going to bring a lot of trouble.”

“Good thing we have a lot of help,” Clover said. “Some of these guys are from the Sheriff's office, Constables, and a pack of DPS officers as well.”

“Geez are we that understaffed?” Star asked.

“Not really. I bet it’s more for insurance,” Comet guessed. “Mayor Sky wants this to go off without a hitch to score points with the city safety campaign.”

“On the festival topic, have you guys seen the lineup?” Phantom asked. “A lot of big names are coming here and the nuts are coming out to see them too.”

“All I know is if Rich Baby Daddy starts playing someone is getting punched in the face I swear to god,” Comet grunted. “I hate that song so much.”
“The music video is alright tho. Hand on your knees.” Star grinned. Clover and Comet slapped him on the back of his head at the same time. “Kidding.”

Everyone talked among themselves till Night entered the room along with two other officers to start the briefing.

“Alright everyone, quiet down,” Night said over the noise. “Thank you all for being here whether you are from the CCPD, Constable, or the Sheriff's office. Today is the start of the four-day-long summer festival. Day One will be the performer's arrival, Day Two Maverick Park will be open to the public. Day Three will be a meet and greet with the performers and Day Four will be the big party. Myself, Lieutenant Heavy Cloud from the Sheriff’s office, and Captain Twister will be at the command post during the whole event.”

“How many people are we expecting?” Someone asked.

“100,000 to 500,000.”

Everyone grunted.

“I know It’s going to be a pain. The festival will only last about four to five days. Anyway everyone will be pulling 12-hour shifts for the next four days. We’ve put groups together to patrol the area near Maverick Park. Group 1 will be a basic patrol inside the park. On foot, and the Polaris. Move in groups of 4 and never go anywhere alone if possible. Group 2 will be Crowd Control, that job will be based on the stage, pool, and the area near the food vendors. Finally, Group 3 will be escorted, that job you’ll be the V.I.P.'s shadow when they arrive and during the meet and greet. After that Group 3 will be a part of Group 1 assisting in patrol. Understood?”

“Yes ma'am.”

“Good. Now I also want to remind everyone that the commissioner will be watching this closely as well as the mayor. I’ll now assign everyone to the group you’ll be a part of.”

Miles away from Canterlot City a private jet flew above the clouds calmly cruising through the blue sky. Snowflake stared at the landscape from the window of the private jet she was in. She couldn’t hide the smile on her face even if she tried. After years of being away, she’s finally back home.

“Someone seems happy,” Silver Flash said. “What’s with the smile?”

“I’m back home,” Snowflake replied. “I haven’t been in Canterlot City in years. That’s why I’m happy.”

Rosa looked up from her magazine. “Oh yeah, this is your hometown, isn’t it? Any friends or family coming to see you at the festival?”

Snowflake sighed. “I wish all my friends were busy, my parents don’t like these types of festivals and both my siblings are wrapped up in work. It’s been years since I’ve seen them face to face.”

“Poor thing. Are you going to see them when it’s over?” Rose asked.
“I hope so. I’m pretty sure they would have come if we were added sooner. When this is over maybe we can go out or visit somewhere if anyone is available.”

“Speaking of visit I heard that Canterlot City has this one bar that’s in a tower that
overlooks the lake,” Rose said. “I wonder if you need a reservation to get in.”

Silver Flash shook her head. “You two better be careful. This city is dangerous for people like us. There could always be someone in the shadows watching you waiting for their moment to strike.”

Rose slapped her magazine on Silver Flash’s head. “Shut your mouth.” Rose hissed. “Don’t put stuff like that in our heads. We have it bad enough with our basic lives.”

“You're the one to talk,” Silver Flash shot back. “After you talked us into that group bikini photo op. Our picture is going to be on the cover of Superstar magazine for months.”
Snowflake remembered that photo shoot. Rosa had talked them into a group photo at the beach wearing bikinis made by a fashion company that she co-owns. At first, Snowflake thought it would be fun. That was till she saw what she’d be wearing. Snowflake never had body issues; she's always been fit and had quite a figure, but she never liked showing it.

Luckily, Rose and Silver were in most of the pictures thanks to them being… more developed in the chest area. Unlike Snowflake who is slightly below average. However, there were a few butt pictures the photographer got without her noticing till it was too late.

“Girls please,” Copper, their manager said. “Let’s save some of that energy for the festival. As for sightseeing, I want you all to have a full escort if you go anywhere. Silver Flash is right, this city is dangerous for girls of your value.”

Rose raised her eyebrow. “Value? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, you know what I mean. You are all the queens of the music world. Canterlot City is still a major city and people know who all of you are. You know what happened here two months ago?” Copper asked.

“That office shooting?” Snowflake muttered. “Yeah, we all heard about it. Those poor people. They had to pay just because the company was so selfish.”

“Exactly. You all need to be careful. When we arrive I’m going to the festival organizer and have the best security detail this city has to offer.”

“I hate being an escort,” Storm sighed. “Nothing ever happens.”

“Since when do you complain about easy work?” Clover asked. “We're getting paid to sit around and do nothing for the past few hours in an air-conduction vehicle. What’s wrong with that?”

Escort detail is one of the easiest assignments there is till it’s not. The performers all came around at different times. To make matters worse some of them are in different hotels for whatever reason.

“It’s not that,” Storm said. “I just hate sitting around doing nothing. Then again who knows what Buck and Star are getting into right now.”

“You think there’s going to be problems?”
“Star is the problem. He finally gets to drive the Polaris. He's been wanting to drive that thing for years.”

“Afraid he might do something reckless?” Clover asked.

“He broke the academy’s pursuit course record and he’s put three cars out of commission for engine problems,” Storm explained. “The speed limit is a suggestion to him. Also, who are we escorting again?”

“You don’t know?”

“I’m not really into music, Clover you know that. I don’t know who half of these people are.”
“You're everything a grandpa should be Storm you know that? Complaints about new stuff he doesn't understand gives great advice, and tells the best stories to his grandkids.”

“Woah, I do none of those things you’ve just listed and I am nowhere near that age.”
Clover chuckled. “Well, we're escorting Emerald Kiss. A group of four girls, they're not a group per se, but two or three of them are always in a song together. You can’t listen to the radio without hearing one of their songs at least three times a day.

“Sounds like they're popular.”

“You have no idea. They bring in more than any other group and performer right now in the music industry. Don’t even get me started on their fans.”

Storm glanced at the group of men and women with cameras waiting near the gate where they were supposed to leave when it was time to leave for the hotel.

“I could only imagine.”

A horn from a van coming from the secure parking lot slowly pulled behind the unmarked car Storm and Clover were in.

“Alright, let’s get moving.”

Storm put the car in drive and headed towards the gate. “About time.”

Meanwhile with Star and Buck
In a small convenience store parking lot, Star and Buck sat inside the Polaris watching the large crowd of people walking towards Maverick Park. Some were dropped off by taxi, others by shuttle. All of them are headed to Maverick Park. Every single one of them.

Half of the shift was over and the day looked to only be getting worse. Buck and Star have been responding to calls from minor fights, directing traffic as well as minor medical emergencies.

“Look at all of them,” Star said, staring at the stream of people on the sidewalk. “How much do the tickets cost?”

“Last time I checked, it cost 230 at least,” Buck answered. “If you ask me, that ticket price is way too high for this kind of event.”

“It’s worth it to me. Your favorite songs are playing live, good beer, decent food, and company all around you. It's pretty fun.”

“Have you been to one of these Star?”

“Once. It was a friend's birthday and he won free tickets to a festival that was going on that night. We all went and it was a great time. I would do it again if I had the money to go.”

Buck leaned back in his seat. “I’m glad you have fun, but now you're on the other side of things.”

Star started the engine. “You are right. We should start making our rounds. Adventure awaits.” Star zoomed out of the small lot onto the streets.

Buck and Star are assigned to patrol the outer perimeter of the park. He hoped they would have an easy day along with the occasional call here and there. Most of the day had been pretty routine calls, nothing major.

In a way, Buck was glad he had Star as a partner. Star is good police from what others have said. He just jumps the gun quite a bit. That and he’s driving is something to truly witness. His foot stays on the gas and act’s like the break is an option. At least Star knows how to handle himself in both a gunfight and a fistfight if it came to that.

Within minutes they arrived in one of the neighborhoods they had to patrol almost every hour. They searched for cars blocking driveways and other parking violations. The HOA in the neighborhood requested patrols since they are near the park.

Ahead a white van is parked in front of the house blocking the sidewalk along with it missing a front license plate and facing the wrong way on a one-way street.

“That shouldn’t be there,” Star said, pulling in front of the van. "We should check it out."
Getting out, the van was still running. Fast food bags covered the passenger seat. A half-eaten taco sat on top of the dashboard.

“Either somebody is a slob or in a hurry,” Star said out loud.

“The real question is where did they go?” Buck replied more to himself.

OUTER PATROL WE HAVE A 10-64 REPORTED AT 5353 CENTRAL ST. ANY NEARBY UNITS RESPOND.

“Buck,” Star called out. He pointed to the house address that matched the call out. “Do we have good timing or what?”

Buck didn’t reply; he slowly approached the house, hand on his gun. “Eyes open. We don’t know who or what is in there.”

Star followed him. “It could be a robber taking advantage of the homeowners leaving for the festival and they don’t know we’re here. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Before even touching the first step on the porch, the bay window shattered from what was a shotgun blast. It echoed through the streets and air. Buck and Star both broke for cover behind the van.

“What were you saying, Star? What’s the worst that could happen?” Buck growled.

“There’s always room for the unknown,” Star replied.

After both teenagers were taken to booking. Buck called the whole team back to the office to inform them of what he found in the house.

"I knew having this festival was going to bring problems, but I didn't think it would be anything like this." Night sighed. “What was found in the house? Don’t leave anything out.”

"Most of the guns were SMGs and another table had material that could be kits for guns,” Buck began. "We also found multiple maps of downtown and Maverick Park. As for the house the bank owns it after the previous owner was evidenced. It's been closed for months now. The neighbor across the street called it in. She saw two males have been in there for the past few weeks."

"Any leads on who they are?" Phantom asked.
Star rubbed the back of his head. "The ID she gave was spotty. Two men, both of them average height and average weight. She said one of them has a tattoo of a snack on his lower left arm. So, no.”

"And the teenagers?"

"They're from a group home, I’m running their name now. One ransacked the fridge for beer while the other found the weapons and accidentally set it off and you know the rest." Star explained.

Night rubbed her forehead. "At Least it's something. I'll get an unmarked unit to sit on the house for the time being. Till then we need to stay on alert."

"What about the other three?" Comet asked. "They could be at the festival right now."

"We don't have proof let alone know where they are and the description we have is pretty much useless," Night reminded. "I'll notify the command of what happened."

"So, is the festival canceled now?" Clover asked.

"Don't bet on it," Storm said. "Mayor Sky has been talking this festival up for almost a whole month since it was made official."

Night chimed in. "Storm is right. Canceling the festival is highly unlikely since it already started. Till then everyone, go back to your post and be on high alert."

Night dismissed herself and went to her office. She sat down and started to dial when
Twister came into her office knocking on her open door.

"Sorry to interrupt you, Night. You have a visitor in the lobby."

"Take a message," Night replied as she continued to dial. "I have to relay some important information I just got."

"It's the Mayor."

Night closed her eyes and pinched her nose. "What does he want now? We just had a conference an hour ago."

"I asked him and he just said it's urgent. I can tell him you're in a meeting with the other COs. That should get him off your back for a while."

Night hung up the phone. She knew there was no getting out of this no matter what she said. "Just send him in," Night said after a moment of silence. "I'd rather deal with him now than later."

Twister nodded and left.

Night wondered what Mayor Sky could want now. Everything had been going off without a hitch so far. Well, that was until two teenagers decided to break into a house, ransacked the fridge, and found multiple ghost guns. There was no way Mayor Sky had found out about that. The incident happened less than an hour ago.
Whatever the Mayor wanted she was about to find out.

THE NEXT DAY
After the incident yesterday everyone is on high alert inside and outside the park, along with first responders around the city. A loose shooter and now a possible attack on a music festival doesn't look good to anyone.

Things were a bit hectic when the incident first happened. When things calmed down everyone wanted an explanation of what happened. Luckily, Star came up with a pretty good cover story that everyone believed.

That was one less thing to worry about. Now, the real question is what the plan is and where are the suspects. Are they here at the festival or leave for another safe house?
Storm was thinking all of this while keeping watch of the area he and Comet were assigned to watch over.

Today is supposed to be the second busiest besides the actual event. The photo op and Meet & Greet are today. As expected people started to gather long before the event was
set to start.

Crowd control is going to be positioned in between the stage and fans. This was one of the few problems with the photo shoot and the Meet & Greet being held on the same day.

"How many performances are here? Storm asked, staring at the line of people.

"Ten, I think," Comet answered. "Why?"

Storm gestured to the crowd of people forming by the Meet & Greet area. "This many people are here to see ten people?”

Comet rolled her eyes, “Storm are you really that shocked about this whole thing?”

“I mean kind of. What’s the big deal? I got a bit of info from Clover.”

“If anything most of them are probably here for Emerald Kiss. They are kind of the main event for the whole festival. When they got confirmed attendance tripled overnight.”

“Just because of Emerald Kiss?” Storm glanced at the line of people. While there were a few teenagers, most of the line were men around the age of 30 to 40. “Please tell me these girls aren’t teenagers.”

“The oldest is 24, the youngest is 21,” Comet confirmed. “They're not pedos, but they are creeps in my opinion.”

Before Storm could reply a call came over the radio.

ALL PATROL UNITS WE HAVE A 10-14 NEAR THE MEET & GREET CAN ANY AVAILABLE UNITS RESPOND?

“Want to take it?” Storm asked. “We are the closest.”

“Why not?” Comet said, looking at her watch. “We haven’t been doing anything for the past hour. Let’s go.”

Walking towards the Meet & Greet area Storm noticed that the line was longer than Storm originally thought it was. More people were inside the tent where they met the performers.

When the pair arrived near the tent, Storm noticed White Lighting, a sheriff deputy from Woodway had helped the department on a few occasions. A tall man stood right beside him.

“Hey, Storm, Comet.” Lighting said when he saw the par approaching. “Good to see you guys.”

“Same,” Comet replied with a smile. “What’s going on? Dispatch said a Prowler was reported in the area.”

“Many bystanders reported a strange man wandering around this area,” Lighting explained. “He could be under the influence or on something.”

“Do we have a description of the suspect?” Storm asked.

“He is about 5,9, around 250 pounds and his skin is blue with black hair. No positive look on his face or marks on his body.”

“That's fine,” Storm said. “We can work with that. Where was he seen the most?”

“Near the secure parking lot for the V.I.P.S., we’ve been there all day. He seemed normal until about an hour ago.”

“And you guys left?” Comet asked.

The tall man finally spoke. “The manager said they didn’t feel safe with us close by.”

“Sounds like a real genius.” Storm sighed. “Anybody have any suggestions?”

“I say we head over there,” Comet suggested. “We can try and catch him. Let’s stay in pairs around the lot.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Thunder said. “Let’s go.”

For most of the Meet & Greet. Storm noticed just how outnumbered they were. Going into the event Storm knew that this whole thing was going to be an uphill battle from the start. Seeing how many there were was astounding.

Evengeily, the Meet & Greet ended and the performers were starting to make their way to the secure parking lot. The crowd followed them, staying behind the barricades. Many of them were taking pictures on their phones or high-priced cameras. At this point, the crowd control team arrived to take over.

“I bet that manager is regretting not letting us stick around now,” Lighting said.

“YOU CALLIN ME A LIAR!?” A voice shouted.

“That’s not good.” Storm thought.

“POLICE, POLICE!” a woman shouted. Her voice was high and sounded like she was in pain.

“That’s not good.”

Storm speed walked to the area of the scream before anyone else in the group could. He pushed his way through the crowd, followed by the others behind him. After getting through the crowd Storm was in the center of the commission.

He saw a slightly overweight man standing over another man in a brown suit. He’s covering his nose with his hands.

“Stop,” Storm ordered. “Step away.”

The man turned around. He glared at Storm before turning his attention back to the girl.
“You don’t want me to go, right? Tell him you like me and we’ll be together forever.”
“Ok, this just went from confusing to weird.” Storm thought.

“Dude, will you just back off!?” A woman shouted. “She said she’s not interested.”
“I’ve been watching you for months,” He continued. “I can’t wait for our wedding. I have everything planned.”

“Storm,” Comet whispered, “Time to take action. I don’t know what we walked into, but
we need to take care of this now.”

Without warning Storm took out his taser and fired it at the overweight man causing him to collapse to the ground. The audience's reactions were a mix of shock and ohs.

“Down and out.” Lighting said.

TWENTY MINUTES LATER
Snowflake was thankful that the day was finally over. She had a slight rehearsal early in the morning, a photo shoot in the afternoon and she just finished what was easily the longest Meet and Greet of her idol career so far. The line of fans that wanted to meet them stretched around the tent. Now, the group is waiting to be cleared to leave the park.

“Good work today girls,” Copper said. “We’ve had a long day today, so let’s get back to the hotel and get some rest for tomorrow.”

“I’m so tired,” Silver Flash sighed. “I’m glad we're taking a vacation after this tour. I need it.”

Snowflake nodded in agreement. “I just want my bed. We’ve been going nonstop since this morning. Was the early morning rehearsal really necessary? The official rehearsal is tomorrow.”

“It doesn’t hurt to get a little extra practice does it?” Copper asked.
Rose yawned quietly. “Well, that early rehearsal robbed us of 2 hours of downtime. I’ll be making that up sometime this week since we don’t leave for a week after the festival ends.”

“Rose, I’ve told you…” Copper begins again.

“I know. A full escort. When the festival is over our escorts are going to be limited, you know. We really should hire security next time.”

Snowflake picked up her phone to check the messages. She wanted to know if anyone in her family had responded to the message she sent this morning about getting together for dinner before heading back West. Vortex was going to be a possibility while everyone else was going to be hit or miss.

“Speaking of private security, did you guys hear what happened at the Meet & Greet?” Silver Flash asked.

“Was there another fight?” Rose asked.

“Not really. I heard that there was a crazy fan trying to sneak backstage where we were. The cops found him and he got tased. Here, look, it's on the internet.”

Silver showed her phone. A man got into an argument with someone who looked to be security. The man punched him in the face while looking around. Soon four police
officers arrived and surrounded the man. After a little talking one of them used a taser.

“That’s gotta hurt,” Rose chuckled watching the man fall to the ground. “What was it about?”

“Don’t know. Something about him hitting on a girl that he never met or something. Weird stuff.”

Snowflake didn’t say anything. She kept looking at the video closely.

“Hey Silver, what was the name of this video again? I wanna see it.”

Storm stared at his phone. His reaction was between annoyed and slightly amused. Someone posted a video of the incident with the crazy fan from yesterday. It already
has over 200,000 views in 24 hours.

Luckily, the video showed the incident from start to finish, so Storm was clear of any wrongdoing in both the public and the department. The video ended just after Storm and Lightning had carried the fan to the nearby medical tent to be treated from the teaser. Lighting had sent him the link to the video this morning. By the time he got to the office, everyone had seen it.

"Couldn't have done it better myself," Star said when he watched the video. "Why'd you wait that long to taser him?"

"I didn't know if he was one of our suspects."

"Was he?"

"No. He didn't have any tattoos and cameras from a comic book store put him far from the house. The timestamp proves it. He was just a crazy obsessed fan after all.”

Night cleared her throat. "Speaking of which, "I'm more interested in the kids Star and Buck brought in. They looked no less than 16. Did they have a hand in this?"

"Don't bet on it," Comet said. "Before I could say a word they spilled everything."

"How?" Storm asked. "You were in there for less than 3 minutes."

Comet pointed to the mountain of a man behind her. "This guy walked in and they were singing like birds. You're a natural, Phantom."

"I was just gonna ask if they wanted some water."

"What did you find out?"

"Turns out they didn't find that place by random chance. The address was posted online from an account that was flagged by the FBI for suspicious activity."

"What kind of suspense activity?" Night asked.

"Domestic terrorism."

"That’s refreshing," Star said in a bored voice. "Why would they choose to attack now? I don't know a group that would attack a singing festival."

"We haven't found that part out yet. What I do know is that the threat of an attack is more likely."

"We should group up and head back to the festival if that's the case," Buck suggested.

"Today is the rehearsal, something could happen."

"Nobody has gone near the house since the arrest of the teenagers. Our only suspects are still in the wind and the main event is tomorrow. We don't know if they're even in the city or walking among us while we're at the festival. I'm pulling you all off of festival details. Split up and find anything. Where they skipped town or if they are still here.”

“Well, this was a waste of a day,” Star said in a bored tone. “We haven’t found anything that gets us any closer to our possible suspects who were squatting here.”

Storm and Star spent the whole day looking throughout the area and house for any clues they could have missed from their original search. Instead of just the living room where the weapons were originally found they searched the whole house. The only thing they could find were receipts from a few fast-food restaurants that didn’t lead to anything.

“I know,” Storm grunted in agreement. “There’s next to nothing there. The receipts are dated from about a week ago. It doesn’t prove that they’ve been here that long. As well as the place being spotless. They were staying here off and on.”
“We checked that place from the bottom to the top. It’s kind of funny how clean it was.”

“Not all criminals are stupid," Star commented. "There are a select few of them that have a brain and think things through. Hopefully, the other found something, otherwise we are in an uncomfortable spot. The only thing we found is a fake security shirt in the bathroom.”

“They did,” Star confirmed. “Turns out they found out the name of the group that runs the account.”

The pair rode in silence till they arrived back at the precinct. Inside it was a bit more busy than usual. Storm paid no mind to it, he needed to see if anyone else found anything.

“Mayor isn’t happy I pulled you six off festival duty,” Night began. “Please tell me if anyone has something.”

“I found out more about the account that was managed by a group that is no longer active. “Half of them were arrested or were killed in a large-scale operation in Hayfield by the FBI and the Marshals. The other half were killed when a homemade bomb they were making went off.” Phantom informed.

The other half were wiped out by one of their homemade bombs?” Star asked.
“It’s believed that the other half were planning to attack an FBI building for revenge. They had an arsenal of bombs, guns, and many others. The bombs were put in one room along with others. One went off and a chain reaction followed, taking out the whole building along with the other half of the members.”

“Then that means these two are surviving members, but why this festival?” Night asked.
“It seems kind of random. Their normal targets were government-based.”

Phantom crossed his arms. “They're trying to recreate the first attack that put their group on the map. It wasn’t a music festival like this; however, the number of people that attended is the same here.”

“So, that means they were trying to recruit members. That explains the weapons we found and why there were so many of them. What about their whereabouts?”

“No dice,” Buck sighed. “We looked up all active members, none of them matched the sketches that we have. So either the two are original members that weren’t documented or they were another pair of followers who found the post online.”

“Storm, Star?”

“We tore that house apart. Nothing was there besides the damaged wall that was there when I went in the first time.” Star said. “The only thing we found was a security shirt that’s fake.”

“One or both of them are a part of the security teams at the festival?” Clover asked.
“It’s possible,” Storm answered. “There are countless security companies in the city, but I haven’t heard of this one. When I looked them up nothing came up.”

“Let’s recap. A foreclosed house was being used for a secret meeting possibly hosted by two members of a Domestic Terrorism group that is pretty much wiped off the face of the earth. Inside the house, we found multiple guns with serial numbers scratched out and a fake security shirt. Our only two suspects are in the wind.”

“Sounds about right,” Star confirmed. "Looks like the main act is about to start."

Night signed when she shut the car door. In front is one of the many small parking areas around Maverick Park that was being used for the first responders to park their vehicles and their temporary HQ.

The lot is filled with multiple marked and unmarked units along with a few EMS trucks. The main vehicles that stood out were the two large Freightliner trucks that were being used as mobile command posts and surveillance of the area.

The final day of the festival has arrived which means the main event will be tonight. At the early morning briefing before assignments, a sketch was given to everyone from the two suspenes from the house. Night and Twister kept the possible attack between them, the task force, and a few other HTR officers.

Normally, Night would have been in her office taking calls and helping with what she could, instead, she’s out here back in the field. This was mainly because of what happened yesterday at the mayor's office.

It was bad enough that she was called into a meeting by the mayor for a trivial matter that had nothing to do with her in the slightest. Now, she was notified that a small package bomb had gone off on the highway near Maverick Park. Luckily, no one was hurt and the bomb wasn’t big enough to cause any major damage.

The Mayor didn’t take this news any better. A simple visit turned into a mess in a matter of a minute. Night suggested shutting down the festival or postponing it till further notice. Of Course that didn’t go well.

To ease his worries, Night decided to take multiple officers from the patrol unit and have them in their plain clothes around the park. Their job is to report any suspicious activity around the park during the festival. This would help them to get the drop on anyone before they could act. In addition, she’ll have to try to have a couple of HTR units just in case the worst-case scenario happens along with a team watching the cameras around the park.

One problem was that the camera team needed one more member to watch over the area constantly. Having no one else available, Night decided to take the open spot.

Night understood security and safety would be a factor for this event, but she wondered how much overtime the city would be paying when this was all over.

"Morning," Star greeted Night with a smile. "How are you?"

"I'd feel better if I was in my office like I was supposed to be." Night muttered.
"Look on the bright side, you're here with us."

Night stared at Star for a moment before sipping her coffee. "Very bright. I'm assuming you all have been briefed?"

Comet shrugged. "More or less. We were given sketches of the two suspects. We still don’t have their names, so we're kind of playing this whole thing by ear.”

“The canvas didn’t find anyone matching the description,” Storm added. “The security angle may or may not be a dead-end. Also, we might need to assume that they are local and know paths to the park.”

“That’s a worse case,” Night said before drinking down the rest of the coffee. “Alright, Star, Buck you two are back on patrol around the park. Hopefully, you’ll find these two before they get in. Comet, Phantom you guys are going to change clothes and walk around the park. Maybe these two might attack the least guarded areas. Storm, Clover you two are with stage security. Check everyone, check bags, and keep an eye out. Let’s go.”

The festival has gone off without a hutch from the moment it started. Besides a slight fight, multiple minor medical emergencies, and a lunatic running around naked.

So, everything is going off without a problem for the most part.

Storm and Clover stayed at their post all day. Checking bags and watching personnel very closely that came in and out working on the equipment. The workers backstage had been rushing around getting ready for the performances since early in the morning.
During each performance, Storm watched the crowd closely. Security was posted at the front of the stage facing the crowd, Forming a human shield from the crowd. Storm also glanced at the performers now and then. He couldn’t tell if the performers were singing or if they were lip-singing to the song. Whether they were or weren't, the crowd was having a great time.

Halfway to the main event Storm and Clover were resigned to escort the performers to and from the stage.

In the lot, Storm scanned the area for anyone or anything that shouldn’t be there. The lot was pretty much empty, besides seeing a few staff members hanging about having a smoke. The RV’s, Tourbuses, trailers, and vans were added to the possible cover.
"Everything seems to be going well," Clover remarked. "There hasn’t been any sign of those guys."

"Too early to celebrate," Storm replied, keeping his eye on the crowd. "Over 400,000 people in this park and two of them are planning to attack the festival. Why don't I like these odds?"

"Have faith."

"I like to be realistic."

The lights started to flicker around the main stage, at first Storm was confused then he heard music start to play on the speakers. The crowd cheered.

"Looks like the main event is starting," Clover said, looking on stage. "Hopefully we
found these guys or they'll chicken out."

"Doubt it. Based on what was found at the house they mean business. Comet told me the guns at the house were more known for their magazine capacity and rate of fire. They want to hit their targets.”

“Well, we're in the home stretch now. After that, we still technically can’t rest.”

NIGHT: All units, An unauthorized man is near the stage area posing as security. He’s wearing a black shirt, black jeans and black shoes. He is armed I repeat, he is armed.

“Every time,” Clover muttered. “The front of the stage as well as backstage are well
guarded. We didn’t let anyone in, that's unauthorized. Where else could he be?”

"I knew this assignment was going too well, Storm muttered to himself.

"You think it's one of the guys?" Clover asked.

"Possibly. When does the main event start?”

"In about 20 minutes. Remember what Phantom said about how the group got on the map?" Clover reminded. “This could be their chance.”

"Alright, head to the dressing room and stand guard outside. I'll radio Star and Buck to back us up.”

Before Storm could touch his radio Star and Buck arrived at the lot

"Any sign of him?" Clover asked them.

"No. We just got the call and a rundown from Night. This is the guy we've been
looking for." Buck informed.

"Seriously?" Clover asked.

"Yeah," Star confirmed. "The guy who told us was his brother. Cloud Sweeper is the guy we're looking for,” Buck continued. “His brother, Ground Sweeper, turned himself in and told us everything. Comet and Phantom are with him now. Night is checking the cameras around here. Cloud is posing as security like you said Storm."

"Fantastic. Do we have any idea where he is at least?" Storm asked.

Star nodded. "In this general area. We think the main stage is the target. Plainclothes officers are around the stage so that's covered. The only area that’s not covered is here in the parking lot.”

Storm muttered something before speaking. "Alright, the last show is about to start. I'm gonna check backstage. Buck came with me. Clover, you and Star stay back and escort. I know we have tasers now, but if you have to shoot him.”

Storm and Buck searched the stage carefully and checked all the security units working near the stage. Everyone seemed to answer their questions and even show their ID to prove who they were.

Right before Storm was about to regroup with Buck and the others, Storm spotted a person speed-walking towards backstage. He was wearing the same security shirt Storm found at the house.

“Hey security,” Strom called out. “Hold on.”

The figure stopped and slowly turned around. “Yeah?”

It was him. Cloud Sweeper. “Backstage is closed to security. Only law enforcement units and paramedics are allowed.” Storm said casually.

Cloud didn’t say anything at first before sputtering out. “I need to be back there. My co-worker is back there and he needs me.”

Storm looked around for Buck. He wasn’t in eyesight and going on the radio might cause Cloud to jump to action. Clover and Star are on the way with the V.I.P’S to the stage any minute now. He needed to think of something fast or things could go bad.
“He's not back there. We just cleared everyone out of there.” Storm replied. “All security is at the front of the stage. I can take you there.”

Cloud again didn’t reply, instead, he looked around. As if he was planning. At this point, Cloud could know that he has been made.

Storm was worried about this. He didn’t know what Cloud had on him. It could be a knife, a blunt object, a gun, or worse case an explosive. However, Storm needs to be careful even if all those things are possible he needs proof of his actions before he can do anything.

Right before Storm could say anything or do anything, Cloud took out a blade from his pocket and lunged towards Storm.

Storm dodged the stabbing attempt with seconds to spare. Storm grabbed Cloud's arm which was holding the blade to restrain him from making another attempt. Using his strange Storm yanked Cloud's arm causing him to lose his balance and both of them fell to the ground.

Storm positioned himself to grab his taser to stop him, but couldn’t get a handle on it. Instead, he grabbed the talk button on his radio. Which was the next best thing in this type of situation.

“Buck, backstage entrance now.” Storm spat, hoping Buck or someone else heard it and came to assist.

Storm lost his grasp on Cloud’s arm. Storm quickly stepped back to create distance between him and Cloud preparing to draw his gun. Cloud closed the distance quickly then Storm expected and lunged again with the blade in hand.

Storm, this time sent a quick right hook that landed right in Cloud's face. He stumbled back, clearly stunned by the punch. Before Cloud could recover Buck rushed in and tackled him to the ground and handcuffed him quickly.

“Great timing Buck,” Storm said. “I could have been in real trouble.” Buck turned to Storm. His eyes widened.

“Storm, you’ve been stabbed.”

Storm looked down. To his horror, the blade penetrated his uniform.

(3 Minutes ago)
“Final check,” Copper informed. “We need to get moving girls.”

“We heard you the first time Copper,” Rose replied before checking her hair one last time. “This will be just like any other tour.”

“Yeah, for you maybe,” Silver Flash said. “This is your 8th festival. You're used to this stuff, unlike me and Snowflake.”

Rose glanced at Snowflake sitting beside her. “Speaking of Snowflake, what's up with her? She is normally more upbeat.”

Silver Flash glanced at Snowflake. She did look a little down. “You doing ok Snowflake?”

Snowflake nearly jumped at the sound of her name. “I'm fine. Why do you ask?”
“You seem out of it,” Rose said. “Are you nervous?”

Snowflake sighed. “A little. I don’t know why. I don’t know if it’s because the event is the main event or it’s because I’m in my hometown.”

“You’ll do fine Snowflake,” Rose assured. “Just treat it like any other event. Plus, we’re here to support you. We're in this together. Maybe when this is over we could go out and you could show us around the city and where you grew up.”

“Rose, we’ve been over this. Our security detail is going to be limited when the festival ends,” Copper answered. “Unless you want to pay for the officers to work off the clock.”

“All work and no play,” Silver Flash muttered. “This vacation really will be needed after everything is done.”

“Dream of vacation later. Right now we have a show to do.” Copper reminded them. “It’s showtime.”

Copper pushed open the door and saw Star and Clover waiting for them. Taken aback Copper stared at them. “Who are you?”
“Hello sir,” Clover greeted. “I’m officer Clover and this is officer Star. We’re your escorts to and from the stage.”

Copper wanted to say something, but they were lacking in protection. While the parking lot was nice it was very open and a bit creepy.

“Fine,” Copper finally said. “I guess we're in your care.”

The girls followed the two officers to the stage while walking Snowflake prepared herself for her performance. She always felt nervous, but this one was different and she couldn’t calm down for whatever reason. In times like this, she wished her father was here to give her motivation.

Near the entrance, there’s a large group in front. Snowflake could see police uniforms and paramedics. The two paramedics are checking on a man on the ground in handcuffs while another is checking another man with his shirt off.
Snowflake looked at the person sitting down. When she saw who it was he gasped and stopped walking.

“Storm?” Snowflake asked.

Storm looked up with tired eyes. “Oh hey, sis. Good luck out there.”

Snowflake moved towards Storm ignoring Copper's protest. She crouched down beside him to see his injury. “Don’t give me that. What happened to you?”

Storm shrugged. “Ah, you know. Same crap, same me different day.Nothing I can’t handle.”

Snowflake shook her head in disapproval. “Storm we're not kids anymore, you can’t keep being reckless like this. You should go to the hospital.”

“Snowflake, I’ll be fine,” Storm assured. “Just focus on your performance. We can talk later when it’s all over.”

Snowflake wanted to protest this further, but she knew she had a show to do. She nodded and continued to the stage. Somehow Snowflake's worry disappeared after she had that short talk with her brother.

(THREE DAYS LATER)

“So do you know?” Star asked.

Storm pinched his nose in annoyance. Debating to hang up on Star. “Star for the last time. I’ll tell you the details when I get them.”

“But I wanna know now,” Star whined. “You know we have to put in our time off request months in advance.”

“When she tells me you’ll be the first to know.”

“Promise?” Star asked.

Storm let out a loud sigh. “Star, do I need to remind you that you, Buck, and Phantom are getting free Superbowl tickets because of me?”

“You're right,” Star admitted. “Hey before you go. When can I drive the sweet Type R you’ve been hiding from me?”

“Never,” Storm replied before hanging up not letting Star have a response.

The past few days were a real rollercoaster in a way. When everything was said and done Storm was pretty much interrogated by everyone in the task force about him and Snowflake.

Storm explained that Snowflake is his little sister and they are related by blood, it’s been years since they’ve seen each other and were planning to go to dinner with their parents in a few days.

Snowflake met Storm and everyone else after her show ended. She thanked each of them for watching over Storm. To show gratitude she offered tickets to the Superbowl for the guys and a spa treatment for the girls.

Storm hoped that everyone would deny the gifts, but everyone accepted them without a second thought. Night allowed Storm to take the week off mainly because of getting stabbed. Luckily, the knife didn’t hit his body and his vest caught it before it could do any damage to him.

Leaning on the side of his car. Storm watched as Snowflake's private jet flew down the runway and took off into the sky. Storm had just dropped her off at the airport after having a quick visit with their parents.

Storm placed a hand where the blade could have hit him if he didn’t have his vest. He shivered to think what could have happened. He also knew the dangers he’d face daily for this type of job.

Pushing the thoughts away Storm got in his car and planned on spending the rest of the week relaxing before being sent back to work.