Corruption In Blue

[Gemma Dove]

Gemma was tapping her foot as loudly as she could on the polished floor, her gaze boring into the eyes of the police officer on duty at the front desk. The usual ball of radiant sunshine that was Gemma was far from sunny, her gaze stern, her arms folded across her chest in a clear display of steadfast intention; She wasn't going to leave, no matter how coldly the man behind the desk attempted to glare her down.
Ever since the horrific incident a few weeks ago which left an ex student of Bellefonte in hospital fighting for her life, the reporter had been desperately trying to unravel the messy circumstances surrounding the incident. The attack had been a clear act of blind hatred, with the obvious assumption being that the ones behind it were the very public hate group AMA. But despite this, Gemma had not seen or heard of any inquires being made towards the group; Their leader, a vile woman of idiotic views, had not even been interviewed regarding the incident. When Gemma's phone calls went from promises to call back to outright being ignored or cut off, the reporter had decided to take her investigation directly into the hive of Kalispell police station.

Why would the men and women in blue, that Gemma had respected and valued, be so uncooperative?
Even now, the man behind the desk, having given up on trying to glare her out, had opted to bluntly ignore her very presence. she didn't want to consider it... But the idea that AMA had some sort of hold on the Kalispell police force had crossed her mind; Was that way they seemed to reluctant to publicise anything on the case? She hoped she was wrong... If mutants couldn't trust the police, who could they trust?
"Look, I know it's an ongoing investigation!" The reporter spoke up. "But this is important! No one has even made any sort of television conference to discuss the case! No one has spoken to the press! Is anyone even working on it at all?"
There was no answer.
Gemma pouted irritably, before making a point of turning on the heel of her boots, settling herself down firmly on a nearby seat. "I'm not leaving until someone speaks to me. People are scared, and you're acting as though it's not your problem!" She then settled back in her chair, prepared to wait as long as it took.

[Reid Chase]

People around Reid could tell that she was stressed. It had been weeks since the incident that left Alex scarred. Reid had visited plenty of times and every visit left her even angrier that the people who had been handed the case hadn't done jackshit about anything. She couldn't even assure Alex that the perpetrators were behind bars. There was not even a whisper of an investigation and Reid was livid.

She was in the position to do something but they were afraid there would be a conflict of interest because she knew the victim. She couldn't tell her captain to shove it where the sun don't shine because she could smell bullshit a mile away. She knew they didn't put her on the case because she was a mutant.

She couldn't even do a press conference because there was nothing to be conveyed.

The only person who knew of her true frustrations was Corey and there was only so much yelling and blowing furniture up that he should take. At the precinct, her colleagues basically gave her a whole circumference of space. Some even walked in the opposite direction when she came along. Truthfully, she preferred it that way.

She heard the yelling from the front as she was coming out of the evidence room and when she saw who it was, Reid couldn't help the sigh that escaped her. She knew Gemma Dove's reputation but usually, she just kept her distance from what the girl wrote. Her presence in the precinct only meant one thing. She was out for blood.

The front desk spotted her and ducked his head, trying to look busy as she walked towards the blonde. "It would be best if you left, Miss Dove. Unless you have an appointment, there's nothing we can do for you."

Reid hated the words that came out of her mouth but there was nothing else she could say.

[Gemma Dove]

Gemma had no intention of leaving any time soon. In the days following the horrific incident which had left an ex student of Bellefonte in hospital, Gemma had expected a flood of officers from Kalispell's PD to make their presence known on the streets, for security to be stepped up, for the police to throw their full weight into pursuing the vile people responsible. But days filtered into weeks, with not even a fraction of movement it seemed from the police force; There appeared to be no task force, no increase in patrols, and overall next to no response to the violent attack. Even now, with Gemma making it obvious she had no intention of leaving the premises without some sort of answer, all the officers had done was ignore her; They however, did not know Gemma Dove. Ignoring her did little to change her drive... If anything, it made her all the more determined. Someone had to speak out, and being a reporter, it was her duty.
She kept her arms firmly folded, staring down the officer at the desk with pouted pink lips, one leg crossed over the other in a firm display of steadfast resilience. No doubt eventually someone "higher up" would attempt to shift her.

As if on cue, she heard the stern tone of someone in authority, the blonde perking up and blinking over at the young woman with bright eyes. "... I'm sorry, but unless you're willing to talk to me, I will be staying right here," She answered firmly with a nod once Reid had finished speaking. "... I'm sorry miss, but it's been weeks now..." Gemma's expression softened slightly. "... Miss.Lawson is even out of hospital and yet there seems to be no movement from here at ALL. People are SCARED."

Gemma herself had started to take small precautions... Walking with someone home from the Academy or work. Avoiding badly lit areas... AMA posters seemed to almost wallpapering certain areas of the town now... There was a growing sense of tension and fear, and that could only lead to more violence.

[Reid Chase]

Reid wasn't surprised when the young blonde didn't move from where she stood. How long ago was that how she approached her job?

When Gemma mentioned Alex, Reid gave her a steely glance, one made to intimidate. If there wasn't a protocol for her to follow, Gemma Dove wouldn't have had to be here in the first place. Being lieutenant meant jack for Reid if a victim was someone she had ties to. In a lot more ways than the obvious one. Hell, she knew the reason she wasn't put on the case was because she was a mutant herself. She wanted to tear doors down because of the inactivity but she knew if she wanted to keep her job, she had to keep her hand stuck far up the captain's ass.

"I understand your concern, Miss Dove. Believe me, I do. But if you could please make an appointment, I would be glad to have one of the officers assigned to the case speak to you when they have something to say." Reid responded, her face looking drained of the youth she actually possessed. "You have to understand, we cannot proceed with anything until the investigation yields any progress. So if you would please make an appointment for a later date."