[i]"Don't come any closer, or I'll shoot!" The gun quivered in Ryobi's hand as he faced down the knife-wielding assailant. This was supposed to be part of training, not a stand off. Ryobi had only been a cop for a few days. His navy uniform had yet to even get dirty, and the badge he wore was so shiny that one could see one's reflection in it. Which Ryobi had relished in several times already.

The man with the knife laughed a single, sharp guffaw. "Yer a scrub. Anyone can see that. You don't got the guts to pull the trigger. Yer just a lil shitstain with a shiny new badge. So what yer gonna do is let me walk on outta here. Don't no one need to get hurt. I keep this cash. You don't get stabbed. Everyone's happy." He began to step forward, the knife still pointed at Ryobi.

"I s-said stop!" Ryobi's voice picked the worst time to crack. 

The thief's haughty grin just widened as he continued his approach. "I'll give ya a hint, kid. If you ever pull a gun on someone, ya better be ready to use it. If ya pull out a gun and ya just don't got the guts, yer dead." His eyes glinted, and the knife moved.

--BLAM!--

Ryobi didn't even remember pulling the trigger, but the next millisecond was etched into his mind forever. One moment, the man was approaching, the knife beginning its arc towards the young officer. The next, everything was red, and there was a ringing in Ryobi's ears. The back of the thief's head seemed to explode, and the bullet continued its trajectory, embedding itself into the brick wall. 

The worst part of it all was that smile. Even after the thief was most certainly dead, the smile remained: a twisted, evil, self-important smirk. He hadn't even seen the bullet coming, and in all honesty, neither had Ryobi. When his CO arrived from her short stint in the bathroom, she had congratulated Ryobi on doing the right thing. Sayako had sympathized, but never could empathize. The mandatory week in psych report did nothing to stop that grin from haunting his memories. His first kill. He had hoped it would be his last.[/i] 

~ = + = ~

Ryobi stared at the scene before him, comprehending what he had just interrupted. Jan sat in her chair, her blouse ripped open and her panties dangling around an ankle. This was a scene he had witnessed before, but in a much different context, and anger was the only emotion he could feel. His gaze returned to the man on the ground. "Fucking shitstain," he murmured, stepping on the dead body as he approached Warden Pryce.

There was only one thing to do. Ryobi wrapped his arms around her in an embrace, silently waiting for the moment to pass. Ryobi's strength in conversation was as a listener, but he was absolute shit at comforting someone with words. Instead, the hug would have to do, as any words that sprang to his mind fell flat.

After a minute or two, he remembered Kitt and looked back towards the doorway awkwardly. Even though Pryce's state of undress was not his fault, an embrace with a mostly nude superior was something that garnered a measure of embarrassment, especially given their shared history. Thankfully, Kitt didn't seem like someone to judge, or so he hoped.