In Handcuffs

[Zoya Bocharov]

This wasn’t her idea of how the night would have ended. In fact, she hadn’t even planned on going out in the first place. But, she just had to get talked into it. So now, instead of being at home reading a book, Zoya found herself dressed warmly for the cold December night and handcuffed in the back of a cop car. Fabulous.

In all honesty, had the three that came up with the idea gone about things the right way, they wouldn’t have been caught. Of course, instead of looking for the information necessary to look into the practices of the testing facility, the trio had disregarded her and gone on to freeing all the testing animals and setting off the alarm.

In the meantime, Zoya had been busy rummaging through files and taking as many pictures of the documents as she could. She had just finished putting things back where they belonged when she noticed footsteps outside the office.

Remembering all this made the young woman frown. Not only had she closed the drawer on her finger as she’d hurriedly closed it, things had not gone how any of them had planned. Otto was supposed to have come to get her. Instead, she’d been more than a little surprised to find a complete stranger walk through the door. A gun toting cop. To make matters worse, he found her with her finger in her mouth as she tried to sooth it and muffle a curse.

For the moment, she couldn’t focus her irritation at who she really thought deserved it: the three that had ran off without her. The next best thing, unfortunately for him, happened to be her arresting officer.

She glared at him while mumbling under her breath. Well… she glared at the back of his head, foolishly hoping that her stare made him at least a bit uncomfortable. Boy was she tempted to kick at the back of his seat. Very tempted.

Zoya had rambled on about the shady procedures used by Oslov Corp as he slapped the handcuffs on her wrists, and laughed as rabbits hopped across a hallway while being escorted her out of the building. At least the folks at Oslov would have a merry time chasing after all the animals.

Now, she turned to look out the car window and saw her own reflection looking back at her. Some of the hair she’d pulled up into a pony tail had escaped the ties and framed her face. She was sulking. There was no other way to describe what she was seeing, and the moment Zoya realized this, her irritation doubled.

Outside, the streets and other vehicles passed. As they neared the station, she sighed. “Couldn’t have stopped for coffee, now could you?”

[Ivan Sarkozy]

Ivan had received the alert about the break-in at Oslov Corp just as he was headed home and decided to respond. He’d already dropped Dmitry off and was technically of duty. But it was on the way and he figured he could check it out. He notified dispatch that he was responding and pulled into the facility. He found the obvious point of break in, let dispatch know, and cautiously entered with his gun drawn but pointed down. Carefully he made his way through the facility, clearing room after room. He came to some stairs that went above and below. Procedure said to work your way down. He cleared the top two floors and was working on the third when he saw light spilling from under the doors of one of the offices. He relayed his discovery back to dispatch and then carefully and quietly walked down the hall towards the room. He seized the power so he could hear better as he walked and could make out the sounds of cabinets being opened and closed, of papers rustling. Finally, just outside the door, he heard a sharp hiss and muttering.

Vanya readied himself and his gun and opened the door with a quick movement, ready for any danger that might jump out at him. Instead, what jumped out at him was the image of a young woman, wallet in one hand and her finger in her mouth, irritation covering her face.

“Hands up!”
he commanded. She looked frustrated and complied, but not without opening her mouth to start explaining. Very quickly he cuffed her, and she went on about animal testing procedures and things like that. Vanya rolled his eyes. Another student activist. It was like they grew them in college or something. Sure, he loved rabbits as much as the next guy. Especially a nice rabbit stew, he thought hungrily. He hadn’t eaten much on his shift. But protecting people was his job, not animals. As he led her down the hall, he let dispatch know he had apprehended a ‘criminal’. He smiled to himself. She couldn’t see it, so he didn’t bother to hide it. Yeah, a real dangerous criminal. But a B&E was a B&E.

She was short, so he kept a sharp lookout for any compatriots as he took her out. Probably a couple of students in here trying to free the animals and most if not all got out. Except for her, of course. Probably the ring leader, he thought. He could tell because she wouldn’t stop talking, trying to convince him.

And, of course, because he had thought of it, sure enough there were rabbits wandering the halls. He chuckled to himself at that. Outside, as he took her to the car, a few other squad cars showed up. “Careful of your head, miss”
he said as he put her in the back of his car. Then he let the other officers know what he’d found.

Soon he was driving her to the station. For a wonder, she had gone silent. He looked at her through his rear-view and got a glare in return. He smiled. She was cute though. About his age. At another time, he might have asked her out. He laughed at the thought. She’d probably try to get him to eat organic or soy or something. Her eyes shot daggers at him, cute mouth turned down in a pout. Little brat, he thought laughing.

The car passed business after business, some of which served food and coffee. He was reminded of how tired he was. Coffee would have been nice. As if reading his mind, she sighed and said, “Couldn’t have stopped for coffee, now could you?”


He laughed. She was a brat. “Relax miss. There’s coffee at the station.”
Then he added, “We get it real special. The good stuff just like you’re used to. You’ll love it.”
He wasn’t sure if she could see the laugh in his eyes. Eh, he was just having some fun.


Edited by Ivan Sarkozy, Jun 12 2014, 09:43 AM.

[Zoya Bocharov]

And exactly how did he think he knew what she was used to? Her brows rose as she looked over to the rear view mirror. “Is that so? Well, I’ll take mine with sugar.”
Flashing the mirror a fake smile, Zoya did her best to keep from snapping at the man. He was young, and his voice was pleasant, but all his smirking bothered her.

The cuffs around her wrists were starting to feel uncomfortable and she squirmed a little in the back seat to find a better way to sit. If she wasn’t sitting on her hands, she had to lean forward a bit to avoid any further discomfort. That, however, made her seem as if she was eager to talk to him; which, she was not.

In a huff, Zoya shifted so that she was sitting slightly sideways. In doing so, she may have accidentally kicked the back of his seat. At least, there was no way to prove that the incident had been anything other than unintentional; except of course the overly innocent look on her face, and the suspicious little “oops…”
that left her lips.

“Can you drive any faster? This isn’t exactly like being in a limo.”

[Ivan Sarkozy]

“Is that so? Well, I’ll take mine with sugar.”
He snorted. She flashed him a smile. She was quick. He liked her. Even if she does manage to sound like a princess. Then the little princess started squirming around in the back seat, huffing and puffing and shifting. She kicked his seat in the process, then had the audacity to say ‘oops’
and look all wide eyed and innocent.

“Can you drive any faster? This isn’t exactly like being in a limo.”


He slowed down as they approached an intersection. Then...“I can’t. I’ll get a ticket.”
Heh. A turn left and they were at the station. He got out of the car and made sure he had everything. Laptop, bag, wallet. All the while she looked at him through the glass. Finally, satisfied, he opened the door. “He’re you are miss. I am sorry it wasn’t as nice as a limo.”
He wasn’t sure why he was needling her. He should be more professional. The smile disappeared. He led her into the precinct.

“I thought you were off, Ivan,”
asked the desk officer.

“I was, but a call came in not far from where I was.”
He looked at her and then back at the officer. “Caught her in a B&E at the Oslov Corp building. Probably a few others too. Set a bunch of rabbits free.”


The officer laughed and muttered, “Students.”


“Yeah, anyway, after I get her processed I’m out.”
Vanya took her to his desk and released one of her hands from the cuffs. “I’m sorry miss, but I have to.”
He took the freed cuff and clicked it onto the bolted down chair. He kind of felt bad for teasing her. Sure she might have felt like a righteous student activist. But being in a Police Station at 12:30 in the morning was probably a wake up call. “We do have coffee if you want it. You said sugar, right?”
He waited for her nod and then went to get both of them a cup.

When he came back he put it down in front of her and called up the forms on his desktop. “Alright. So, let’s start from the beginning. What is your name?”



Edited by Ivan Sarkozy, Jun 12 2014, 10:55 AM.

[Zoya Bocharov]

Funny… a cop getting a ticket. She smirked a little, then waited in silence as they turned at the corner and made their way into the station. Her hands flexed, in the cuffs as he exited the vehicle and for a moment, Zoya let her eyes follow him. He was young, and probably didn’t have much time in the force. To her chagrin, he was also not a bad looking guy.

“He’re you are miss. I am sorry it wasn’t as nice as a limo.”


The door opened and Zoya looked up at him for a short moment before scooting her way out of the car. She didn’t answer him, and his smile disappeared. Good… she thought, and looked over at the building while stepping out of his way. After the car door was closed, the cop, whatever his name was, led her into the station. Hopefully, she would get a chance to call someone soon and not have to get stuck there all night.

Inside, things didn’t seem to be too busy. She didn’t doubt that there was always something going on, but for the moment there were no signs of the chaos she’d often imagined at a police station. The desk officer spoke to them… well, to him, as they made their way in. Apparently the big guy that held her wasn’t even supposed to have been working at the time he found her. Cop boy showed up to save the day even when he was not called to do so. Just her luck, he was your friendly neighborhood hero.

When he looked her way, Zoya glared defiantly back at him. She had to tilt her head a bit to see his face, but no matter, she could still maintain some dignity. The way the desk officer muttered and assumed her to be a student caused her emerald gaze to shift his way, but she didn’t bother to correct him. Let him think whatever he wants.

Eventually Hero cop managed to find his desk and released the cuffs, only to promptly lock her back up on the chair. “Hmph,”
she tugged a little at the cuff after sitting down, but said nothing. Instead, a brow arched at him for a moment.

When he offered her coffee, all she could do was nod. The silly man was being so polite. It made Zoya want to kick him. Instead, she gently rubbed at her captured wrist with her free hand.

After he returned with the cup, she glanced at it first, then at him, then incredulously back at the cup. Earlier, she had simply been trying to be annoying, but now she was grateful for the gesture. Of course, she wasn’t about to tell him that, no matter how wonderful the dark liquid smelled.

“Zoya Bocharov,”
she answered his question and reached over for the coffee. The steam rose from the cup as she brought it up to her lips and took a sip. Content, Zoya leaned awkwardly back in the chair. It wasn’t the most comfortable thing she’d sat on, but at least she could sit back without hurting herself.

“Tell me something, Hero, will I be able to call someone soon?”
Green eyes glanced at him over the mug as she took another sip. He'd added just enough sugar to take away some of the bitterness of the dark brew. Not bad. Not bad at all.

[Ivan Sarkozy]

"Zoya Bocharov"
she answered before taking her coffee. He noticed that she seemed to relax after that. Not at all flustered at being in a police station. She had spirit, he had to say. From the moment he'd caught her with her finger in her mouth she'd been singularly unapologetic about the whole thing. For some reason he liked that.

"Tell me something, Hero. Will I be able to call someone soon?"
Hero? He wasnt sure what that was about. He sighed. Girl B&E's. Guy arrests girl. Girl cops attitude. Guy's nice to girl. Attitude stays. Just my luck. He rolled his eyes on the inside.

"In a bit Miss Bocharov. I need to get all your pertinant information down first, as well as what you were doing at the Oslov Corp building. Once Ive taken your statement, you'll be printed and photographed and then sent to holding. From there you can make a call to whomever you like."
And God help the boyfriend who gets that call, he thought. She was cute though. It was really too bad.

[Zoya Bocharov]

Zoya sat the cup back down on his desk and chuckled. Used to using her hands as she talked, she began to lift them as if to throw them up in the air but then the cuffs stopped her. For a moment, she frowned at the hand that was held in place and shook her head. “I already told you what I was doing there. Oslov is blatantly ignoring animal testing procedures. I wanted a look at what they were doing. Then, you found me.”


Crossing right leg over left, she stretched her neck a little in order to look past Ivan and to the wall behind him. According to the clock, it was rather late, and she wasn’t exactly sure who she could call without hearing an earful from them. What she was sure of, however, was that she would find Otto and give him a piece of her mind. It was his fault that she was in this pickle. The jerk could have at least tried to shout for her.

“Well, I suppose we better get this over and done with then. What else do you need? I’m five foot five, and a hundred and twenty five pounds. Let’s see… green eyes, brown hair. Female of course.”
There was no hiding her smirk, before she gave him her date of birth and address. Then, she leaned back again to observe the officer’s reaction.

Part of her told Zoya that she wasn’t being fair. The man was simply doing his job, after all. He wasn’t who she was truly annoyed with. "Look... Ian, is it?"
Apparently her mouth hadn't caught up with her slight change of heart just yet. "Oslov Corp is shady, and I have the pictures to prove it in my wallet. All I want, is to give that to the right person and have them investigated."

[Ivan Sarkozy]

He guessed he should have been listening to her rant when he arrested her. Nah, he thought. Then he'd still have to hear it again when he processed her. If he was gonna hear about it, at least he could be looking at her intensely earnest face and hands attempting to gesticulate while in cuffs. It was definitely more fun.

Then she gave her stats, which he dutifully recorded in his forms. Finally she finished."Look... Ian, is it? Oslov Corp is shady, and I have the pictures to prove it in my wallet. All I want, is to give that to the right person and have them investigated.
"

He laughed. Ian? Heh. Reminded him of those old James Bond books his father used to read. Ian Fleming. Stupid name. "It's Ivan Sarkozy Miss Bocharov. And I'm not the person you should talk to about that. I'm just here to process you for the crime you did commit - one I caught you in. Now, maybe if you have some really good evidence the DA may cut a deal. Truth is I don't like people hurting animals either unless there's a good reason. But I can't help you with that.
"

He looked at her and was impressed by her passion and decided to soften his tone. "Look, I'll tell the DA what I saw as well as what's on your wallet. Since it wasn't law enforcement that obtained them there's a good chance the evidence is admissible. You may still get your chance. But - "
he held out his finger. "I still have to process you. So lets make this quick and painless. I'm just going to print you at the prints scanner and then take a picture."
A tease sprang to mind and before he could stop it it came out. "You look like you're used to posing anyway."
He stopped as soon as he said it, but the his mouth still quirked. He decided to go on. "After that Ill let you make a call. Ok?"



Edited by Ivan Sarkozy, Jun 12 2014, 11:04 AM.

[Zoya Bocharov]

She listened to him, eyes focused on that raised finger, and thought about it for a brief moment. Perhaps meeting this man wasn’t such a terribly annoying thing after all. If he could help have Oslov investigated then perhaps… wait… did he just say that? Zoya’s jaw dropped open a little and she shut it just as quickly as he took her off guard. “Very well, Sarkozy. I’ll even make sure to smile.”


With that, she reached for her coffee again and drank some more. The man was interesting. At least he was not completely closed minded or called her things like hippy. Perhaps under different circumstances she would have been more agreeable. Of course, she likely wouldn’t have met him at all under different circumstances.

Before she could follow that line of thinking any further, the phone rang. She sighed softly and stifled the urge to roll her eyes. Whatever this call was about, it would probably delay her booking.

Thank goodness for the coffee.

[Ivan Sarkozy]

Her eyes seemed to flare at his little tease, but instead of getting angry she played along, even offering to smile. And then it was his turn to smile. He liked this girl. She was genuinely interesting. It was too bad he had to be the one who arrested her. Even if she got off, it was hard to forget the guy who'd put you in cuffs- or manacled you to a chair. Oh well. He thought. It is what it is.

The phone rang and she sat back irritated. He understood the feeling. He'd worked a full shift and was supposed to be home. Instead he was here. But he supposed he could be worse places...or booking much less pleasant and attractive people. So, he guessed all things considered, it was ok.

The call surprised him. He listened carefully. "Yes sir. Yes I understand. No sir. There won't be a problem. Ok sir. Thank you."
Well that was that. He stood up. "Looks like Oslov is not pressing charges. I'm not really sure why, but it's good news for you."
He undid the cuff and erased his working file. But not without memorizing her name first, though. "Miss Borachov, you are free to go. I can let you call someone or I take you to your home myself."


He paused. She wasnt going to like this. He went on more slowly. "I am, however, instructed to erase any pictures you took of the building on your wallet."
Truth be told, it really irritated him too. He worked for the CCD. More importantly he worked for Ascendancy. Though his time with him had been limited, it seemed to him that they'd shared a sense of justice and fairness. This wasn't it. Instead it stank of cover-up.

He took a chance. "Of course, if any of your images made it to the cloud and were disseminated I'd never know. Most people these days have images sent to the cloud automatically. Anyway, if you'd like a ride please wait here for a moment. Need to take care of something real quick."
He smiled. Hopefully she was smart enough. If not...well that was her problem. He'd done what he could.


Edited by Ivan Sarkozy, Jun 12 2014, 11:13 AM.