His uniform is soaked.

Perspiration dripping down his face like a fountain.

He is sweating under the scrutiny of his superior, who paced slowly around him in circles, the way a predator circles its prey.

“What did I say about playing hero?” The man’s calm voice hides the ugly temper threatening to burst forth, the vein on his forehead bulging terribly. Justin was still catching his breath from his earlier run. Or, more accurately, a chase.

He shifted discreetly in his seat and answered nonchalantly. “You said don’t play hero.”

BLAM!

Superintendent Ronald slammed his palms on the desktop, shocking even the people outside his office. Justin cursed himself inwardly for flinching. “How many times do I have to do this? How many times until you get it into that thick skull of yours?! We’ve had about twenty calls coming in to complain!” The superintendent smacked his head with a stack of papers, presumably the lists of said complaints. He straightened out the papers and gave Justin a pointed look. “Help! This barbaric policeman crashed into my shop and broke the display window!” He mocks a squeaky voice, re-enacting the distressed female caller. Justin pursed his lips; it was all he could do not to laugh. “Hey what are you people doing?! This cop is running on the road and obstructing traffic!” This time a gruff old man’s voice. “One of your men messed up my café! Come back and clean it up!” He couldn’t help it; Justin snorted and choked before bursting out laughing at his mentor’s indignant girly tone.

“Oi, this jerk.. are you laughing?!” He earned another beating with the papers. “You think this is funny?!” Justin warded them off, suppressing his giggles. “What, was I not supposed to laugh? You read so weirdly of course people would laugh!” That was the wrong thing to say, but of course, Justin had always been on the wrong side of his supervisor since the beginning. The incensed superintendent proceeded to double his attacks, sending Justin out of his chair and running around the desk for his life, the enraged supervisor hot on his tail.

~

Benjamin watched the commotion through the un-shuttered office window. He recognised Justin as the rookie had made a name for himself by his reckless pursuit of ‘justice’. Benjamin feels a smile stretching across his face. Justin’s overzealous way of handling the small fry amused him. He wonders how the man would act against the bigger criminals. He wonders how Justin would try to bring justice to people like him.

Justice Justin… sounds like a kid’s superhero.

He knocks on the office door and lets himself in. The two froze and whipped around to face the intruder. “Ooh, you married couples having fun?” He gave a cheeky grin, watching the Superintendent’s already red face turn a shade darker.

Justin peeped out at him from behind the high-backed chair, eyes wide and curious. They hold a child-like innocence that Benjamin had never seen on an adult. After a stunned moment of silence, he cleared his throat and introduced himself. “I’m Benjamin Lee, Stephan’s lawyer. I was told to pick up his case file-” Superintendent Ronald suddenly coughed loudly. “Ah yes! About that- Justin, I’ll continue with you later.” The man made a sharp gesture at his subordinate, shooing him out. But Justin’s attention was no longer on him.

“Stephan’s lawyer? Why should that murderer be defended? He deserves what’s coming for him!” The superintendent silenced him by reaching over and twisting his ear. “You little-! I told you to get out and you still have the nerve to mouth off?!” Justin winced in pain, wriggling to escape.

Benjamin chuckled and gently pried off Ronald’s hand from the poor man’s ear. He took out a handkerchief and began wiping Justin’s sweaty face. The taller man looked down at him, confused and embarrassed to be suddenly handled gently. “Stephan should be defended, because everyone is innocent untill proven otherwise.”

Justin’s face turned sombre. “He was caught red handed in the act of killing his wife.” His eyes narrowed when Benjamin did not falter. Instead the latter moved on to diligently wiping the perspiration off Justin’s neck. “He’s obviously guilty.”

“That is not the right thing to say, Officer. You should firstly investigate every angle of the case. Even then, the facts aren’t always clear.” Benjamin let his hand stop at the man’s collar. Justin’s pulse was racing under his palm. “Then it’s up to the judge to determine if the accused is guilty or not.” The calm smile that spread on his face startled the taller man. “We have to make sure they don’t punish the wrong man for someone else’s crimes.”

“What if you’ve got the right man after all?”

Normally, Superintendent Ronald would have broken them apart long ago, and Justin would have been out of his sight by now. However, the tension between the two men was dangerously crackling. If he had ESP, Ronald swears he would see their auras raring to snap each other up. He wasn’t sure he wants to cut into that.

“Then we do our best to lighten their sentence.”

Ronald jumped in before the flames in Justin’s eyes had any chance to ignite, shoving the spluttering man out of his office with suspension threats. Exhausted, the superintendent slammed the door and leaned back heavily against it. “Sorry about that, Ben. Kid’s a loose cannon.” Benjamin nodded understandingly, hand still half suspended where Justin was standing. “He’s a gem Ron, you keep him close.” Ronald snorted at the attorney. “Only if we’ve got someone to properly beat him into shape.”

~

Outside, Justin paced to and from the office door, wanting to barge back in and confront the dirty lawyer. The trouble was if he did, Superintendent Ronald would immediately make good on his threats. After indignantly muttering to himself, Justin stormed back to his cubicle.

He strongly believes that evil men should be punished accordingly. And he will do his best to make sure the bad guys are kept off the streets. Perhaps such thinking may be unrealistic, but he is convinced he is making a difference by taking down the wrongdoers one at a time.

He threw himself into his chair and pulled up a document, ready to fill out his report.

Poor naive little Justin.