1x17: The Shake Up

***

Hunter was sitting in the briefing room chatting with Tim, Talia, Angela and Grant when Grey walked in holding a clipboard, looking down at it before walking up to the podium and placing it down.

"Per Captain Weatherby, the following protocol changes will take place immediately. No more putting any boots on top of lockers. Any boots left on top of lockers will be thrown away at midnight and noon daily. Second, every officer must provide a business card to every citizen they contact. If a citizen doesn't want a business card, the officer must write a police report and document the fact the citizen refused a business card." Grey said, reading the clipboard.

"Sir, with all due respect, this sucks." Angela and Hunter said at the same time.

"Ours is not to judge, Officer Lopez, Detective Lopez. Command believes that the captain's focus on efficiency is what Mid-Wilshire needs right now." The door opens and Captain Weatherby wanders in, coffee in hand. "Captain. Can I help you?" Grey asked.

"I need an updated vehicle list." Weatherby said.

"Yes, sir. I'm in the middle of roll call. I'll get it to you right after. But since you're here, would you like to say anything inspirational to day shift?" Grey asked.

"Did you tell them about the boots?"

"Yes, sir." Grey said.

"Oh. Okay," Weatherby turns to the assembled officers. "Well, uh - Keep up the, uh, good work." He wanders back out.

"All right. Last bit of business. District Attorney's office has a witness on ice. They need our help watching them," Nolan raises his hand. "I usually don't assign rookies these type of details, Officer Nolan. And Officer Bishop would have to agree." Grey said.

"Forget it. Protection details are like watching paint dry." Talia states.

"Looks like you're out of luck." Grey said.

"I'll do it. And Nolan and I haven't had a chance to "bond" yet." Tim said, smirking.

The other officers laughed.

"Great." Nolan said uncertainly.

"Hunter, Lawrence, wanna come?" Tim asked Hunter and Grant.

"Nah, I'll do patrol, but thanks." Grant said.

"Sure." Hunter agreed wanting to go.

"Last time I checked I gave the assignments out." Grey spoke. Hunter and Tim glared at him. "But I can live with it for now. All right. Bishop, you'll be riding with Chen. That's it. Oh, and remember when you take your shops in at night, you now have to drive by the garage to get a mechanical inspection and mileage report. You're welcome." Grey said.

Everyone walked out the briefing room, Nolan and Tim moving to the locker room to change out of their uniforms and into street clothes, Hunter doing the same in the women's locker room before meeting the three of them and walking to the garage with them.

Jackson runs past the four of them in a hurry. "Must have left his boots up." Nolan comments.

"You up to date on protection detail protocols?" Tim asked.

"I think so." Nolan replied.

***

The four officers arrived at the Sally port where an unmarked car waits for them, as they get in, Tim speaks to Nolan. "Okay. We use the "Loser System" named for the losers we protect. L-O-S-R, Listen, Observe, Secure, Report. You listen for any movement, changes or information that impact the mission, observe the subject's behavior, changes in the environment, et cetera. Secure make sure no threats infiltrate the perimeter, and, finally, report. Report any suspicious activity, no matter how minor, to your superior officer immediately. That means me and Hunter." Tim said pointing between himself, Hunter.

"What about "e"? "Loser" has an "e."" Nolan said.

Tim had already closed the door to the drivers side, Hunter opened the back door for herself. ""E" is for "engage," which is left out because you are not to engage the subject unless it's a life-threatening emergency. We're here to guard this guy, not braid his hair and be besties. That understood?" She asked.

"Understood. I don't even know how to braid hair. I was gonna learn if we had a daughter, but -" Hunter gets in and shuts the car door. Never mind." Nolan said before getting in the car as well, sitting in the passenger seat.

***

Tim, Hunter and Nolan pull up in the unmarked car and park at the curb. "That's the safe house." Nolan said.

"7-Adam-19 on scene at the mutual aid call. Will make contact in 10 seconds." Tim said via the radio.

"Roger, 7-Adam-19." Dispatch said.

Tim knocks on the front door and shows his badge when it's opened by a deputy in street clothes. "LAPD, Bradford, Lopez and Nolan."

A man in a suit comes over to speak to them. "Uh, Officer Nolan?" Del Monte asked.

"Nolan." He speaks up.

"Hey, I'm ADA Sean Del Monte. Jessica Russo told me you'd be helping out." Del Monte shakes Nolan's hand.

"Sir, Officer Nolan is a rookie. We're his superior officers, Tim Bradford and Hunter Lopez." Tim said, gesturing to himself and Hunter.

"Oh. Sorry. I just assumed that he'd be in charge. The last guy Jessica dated was a Navy SEAL. Hunter Lopez, you're quite well known, I'm glad you're here."

"Seriously?" Nolan asked referring to finding out Jessica dated a Navy SEAL.

"Yeah. Talk about a strong handshake, like a vice grip -" Del Monte was saying and Nolan looks at his own hand as if wondering if his grip was adequate.

"Okay, can we get the download on our protectee?" Hunter and Tim asked, getting back on track.

"Of course. Yeah," Del Monte looked behind him at the protectee. "Brad Hayes," Hayes raises an hand while reading a paperback and Del Monte turns back to the cops. "Worked Border Patrol for 12 years down in Temecula. Rose to second in command. Then he turned around and started using what we taught him to help the other side," Hunter and Tim glanced at each other. "He charged the cartels a fortune to smuggle people in and out. Now he's naming names." Del Monte said.

"No wonder he's hiding out here." Nolan comments.

"Yeah, he's testifying before a grand jury tomorrow. Look, Sheriff's Department will coordinate shift changes. Here's my card. Use the cell number in case anything comes up, no matter how small." Del Monte said handing Tim the card.

"Will do." Tim states.

"Deputy," Del Monte said to the other man in plain clothes. "It's very nice to meet the three of you. And, again, sorry for the confusion."

No worries.." after the ADA team leaves. "Navy SEAL?

"Focus, Boot. Now do a sweep of the house. Note ingress and egress points, escape avenues, and sight lines. Report back in 10." Tim said.

"Yes, sir." Nolan passes through the dining area on his way upstairs.

"How's it going?" Hayes asked.

"Fine. Thanks. Oh," Nolan glanced at Tim and Hunter. "No "e" in "loser."" He said.

"Hey. There is an "e" in "loser."" Hayes speaks up, Nolan makes a "never mind" gesture and continues upstairs. Hayes notices Hunter and stared at her for a moment, she was with Tim in the living room as they searched. He places the book down. "If I'd known the LAPD would send their hottest officer, I'd've come forward sooner." Hunter sneered at him but made no move to respond to what Hayes had said to her.

***

Nolan has returned downstairs and is giving Tim and Hunter his assessment. "The whole house is about 1,900 square feet. Upstairs, there's two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a very small attic. Sight lines are blocked from the east -"

"I'm bored!" Hayes interrupted.

"Not our problem." Tim states.

"Oh, it is killing me not having Internet access. Or a phone. They actually gave me newspapers. What do they think, I'm an animal?" Hayes asked.

"Sir, we're here to keep you alive, not entertained. So step back. Let us do our job." Hunter said.

"They don't like me, do they? They probably think I'm a traitor." Hayes said to Nolan.

"We're not here to judge you, sir. Just keep you safe." Nolan said.

"He's very good. Very reassuring. I'm gonna have a beer. You guys want one?" Hayes asked.

"No, thank you." Nolan said.

Hayes goes into the kitchen and gets a beer out of the fridge. Nolan follows and stands in the doorway, keeping an eye on him. "Shocker," Hayes looks back over at Hunter, still standing with Tim. "Detective Lopez."

"What?" Hunter asked, exasperated.

"I read about you in the newspaper. Your captain got killed in the line of duty. Sounded like a real badass." Hayes said.

Hunter freezes for a moment. "She was."

"Your name was all over that article. Pretty heroic stuff." Hayes said.

"Hmm." Hunter said, before going back to ignoring Hayes.

***

Nolan is watching Hayes in the living room while Tim is on the phone in the other room, Hunter's standing with him, noticing that he's so tense. "You can sit down. I'm not gonna bite." Hayes said.

"I'm good." Nolan said.

"Of course. Suit yourself. Your partners there are both real hard-asses, huh? I had a supervisor just like him at Border Patrol. He got off on pushing buttons," Hayes glances over at Hunter. "How does he manage to work with a woman as hot as she is without getting distracted by her? I'd really struggle. How do you do it?" Hayes asked looking back at Nolan.

"Because we're all professionals and he's my training officer, she's a Detective, and we're not discussing this." Nolan states.

"Hmm. I always forget that you are a rookie. It must chap your ass to be bossed around by a younger guy and woman like that." Hayes said.

"Not at all. It's the only way I'm gonna learn." Nolan said.

"I'm not buying it. Guy and gal like that? Oh, man. They're all sorts of superior. They probably think that I smuggled people over the border for the money. I watched people die every day, trying to cross that border, desperate for a new life. And after a few years of that I couldn't take it anymore. I decided to do something and help them. And so, yeah, I made some money, but there are people that are alive today because of me." Hayes said.

"I had no idea you were such a humanitarian." Nolan deadpans.

"Thank you." Hayes said.

"What about the people you smuggled out of the country the, uh, cartel members, fugitives from justice?" Nolan asked.

"Okay, yeah, that was for the money, but -" Nolan's cellphone chimes and he answers it interrupting and turning away from Hayes. Nolan spoke to Jessica when Tim and Hunter both came over, Tim still on the phone.

"Yeah, we'll keep it locked down here. Let us know ASAP," Tim hangs up and speaks to Nolan. "D.A.'s office just discovered a credible threat against our guy a cartel hit team. Trying to figure out if the safe house has been compromised." Tim said.

***

Hunter, Tim and Nolan confer over their situation in low voices. "Are they sending backup?" Nolan asked.

"That's unclear. Sounded like they're scrambling to assess the situation." Tim said.

"Hey, guys. Something going on? You seem stressed." Hayes comments.

"Nothing." Hunter said deadpan.

"If there's a problem, I deserve to know. It's my life that's on the line." Hayes said, standing up and walking over to the three of them.

"Sit your ass back down." Tim snapped.

"Make me." Hayes said.

Tim gets ready to do so when the house starts shaking. All four occupants grab hold of something to try to stay standing, Tim covering Hunter's body with his own, just like he's done many times before. The shaking has stopped after a few minutes. Several items have fallen off shelves and been broken.

Tim and Hunter both stand up, with Tim checking Hunter over for injuries before the four of them look around cautiously. "That was a pretty good one." Hayes comments.

"I'm gonna check the house, make sure we're still five by five. Watch him." Tim said. He goes upstairs. 

Hunter and Nolan follow Hayes into the living area. "Never been through an earthquake before." Nolan comments.

"Yeah, they take some getting used to." Hayes then speaks to Hunter. "He covered your body with his own to make sure you didn't get injured, why?" Hayes asked.

"Not your concern. Nolan, watch him, I'm gonna help Bradford." Hunter said, making her way upstairs.

Hayes looks between semi-open curtains. "Um - are those guys supposed to be here?" He asked.

"Get away from there," Nolan shoulders past Hays and looks out on the street, but only sees a parked car with no one in it. Before he can turn, Hayes whacks him in the back of the head with a lamp and he falls to the floor, stunned. When Hayes reaches to gun Nolan's pockets, Nolan strikes out and eventually wrestles him to the floor. "Don't move! Get down. Get down. Give me your hands. Give me your hands!" He handcuffs Hayes.

Tim and Hunter comes running downstairs. "What the hell is going on?" Tim asked. "What's happened?" Hunter asked at the same time as Tim.

"Ow." Hayes said.

"Nothing I can't handle." Nolan said.

"You all right?" Hunter asked.

"Yeah," Nolan stands up. "Any word on the hit squad?" He asked.

"No. Radios are down. Phone. We're on our own." Hunter said.

***

Hayes sits on the floor in handcuffs while Tim, Nolan and Hunter converse. "Would it help if I said I was sorry? I - I think the earthquake set off - my fight-or-flight response." Hayes tried to excuse his actions.

"Save it." Nolan said, holding a hand to his head.

"I can't get through to the DA's office or the station. Radios are down. Phone lines are overwhelmed. Get ready to move. We can't take a chance this place has been compromised." Tim said, walking over to Nolan and Hunter.

"That's dumb. Why would we run around the city? There's no cover, no concealment. I say we stay put from a a tactical standpoint." Hayes states.

"You don't get a vote. You hit Nolan in the head." Hunter said. The four of them hear a thud and Hunter and Nolan turned to Tim. "No one else in the house, right?" She asked.

"If there is, shoot 'em." Tim said. Hunter, Tim and Nolan draw their weapons. Tim goes to peer out the window and Nolan and Hunter turn to check the kitchen. Someone outside fires at Hunter, breaking something inside the house, and a man appears on the stairs in the kitchen and starts firing. Tim, Nolan and Hunter return fire and the man ducks back up the stairwell. "We got to get out of here! Back door!" Tim yelled.

"What if there's a gunman out there, too?" Nolan asked.

"Then we'll shoot him! We're sitting ducks here. Lets go Nolan!" Hunter yelled.

"I'm not going anywhere!" Hayed yelled.

"Go." Tim said.

"No." Hayes said.

"Move!" Tim yelled.

"Aah." Hayes said as Hunter hauls Hayes to his feet and heads for the back door. The four of them continuing getting shot at and continue shooting back.

Hunter, Nolan and Hayes make it through the kitchen. The man on the stairs leans in and starts firing toward Tim, who hides behind a door jamb and tosses a smoke grenade into the kitchen. When it goes off, the attacker is blinded and Tim shoots him.

***

"Come on. Come on. Go. Go. Go. Go. Come on." Hunter said quietly. She and Nolan step outside with Hayes, they both case the area as Tim exits the house.

"We need transportation." Tim said.

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, there's a sniper between us and our car." Hunter drawled at him.

"Hold here. Head on a swivel." Tim slips out of the gate across the driveway.

"This is stupid. We're sitting ducks." Hayes whispered.

"Shut up." Hunter said in her normal voice.

"You are in way over your head." Hayes said to Nolan.

"Says the guy being hunted by the cartel hit squad." Nolan remarked.

They hear glass breaking, then a car starting. Tim drives through the gate in a car he's apparently commandeered. It's a late-model orange Volvo. "Nice car. Inconspicuous." Hayes said sarcastically.

"Get in the back." Tim said. They get in the car, Hayes still in cuffs, and Tim drives away.

"What's the plan? Back to the station?" Nolan asked.

"No, that's where these guys expect us to go. Safest thing is to get lost. Go to the last place they'd think to look for us." Hunter said, glaring at Hayes from the front seat, Nolan had taken the back with Hayes.

"I know just the place." Nolan said.

***

Tim park the Volvo in a deserted area with a closed-up lifeguard hut. "Yep, this is definitely the last place I'd look for us." Tim said getting out the car, moving to the backseat and opening the door, pulling Hayes out.

"Ugh, ooh. I hate to be that guy, but I'm gonna need some sunblock. I burn real easy." Hayes said.

"I don't have any, but I can bury you up to your neck in the sand and put a trash can on your head." Hunter deadpanned from beside Tim.

"I'm fine." Hayes said, Hunter grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the lifeguard hut. "It would be a lot nicer without these cuffs." Hayes comments, sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall while Tim was leaning against the rail, while Hunter was sitting on the rail beside him, with a hand on Tim's shoulder to keep her balance. Nolan was standing at the top of the ramp, looking at his phone.

"Tough." Tim and Hunter said.

"Texts are back online," Nolan walks over to Tim and Hunter, the raven haired woman jumping off the rail. "It's from the ADA. The hit team wasn't trying to kill Hayes - it was trying to rescue him," Nolan speaks to Hayes. "You were in on it the whole time? You set us up to be killed." He said.

"No. Well, yeah. As much as I love the idea of being a barista in Armpit, Arizona, I've got other plans." Hayes said.

"How did they know how to find you? You were sequestered. No phone, no Internet." Nolan said.

Hunter has been searching Hayes. She pulls off one of Hayes' shoes and finds a tracker. "GPS tracker. Son of a bitch." She said.

"That's not mine." Hayes said.

"We got to get out of here." Nolan said.

Two cars pull into the parking lot and four men get out, armed and obviously looking for something. "Uh-oh." Hayes said.

"What do we do now?" Nolan asked.

Tim yanks Hayes up and pulls out his gun, leading him to the entrance of the lifeguard hut and opens the door. "You guys should just let me walk away. I mean, nobody gets hurt. Think how you're gonna feel if another buddy gets killed in the line of duty," Hayes then starts speaking directly to Tim. "Think about you're gonna feel if your girlfriend gets killed." He said, looking over at Hunter, who was beside Tim.

Hunter's jaw ticks. "Shut up." Hunter gives Hayes a rap on the head with his elbow, and HAYES goes down, having been knocked out.

"Remind me to never piss you off," Hunter gives him a terse nod. "So what now?" Nolan asked.

"They can't afford to kill Hayes, so they'll have to come up here and get him." Hunter said.

"You do know there's four of them, right?" Nolan asked.

"It's almost a fair fight. Hook him up." Tim shrugged.

Nolan cuffs Hayes to the railing and takes cover inside the hut. The four henchmen circle the hut, and Tim and Hunter drop on the ground under it and ambush two of them as the other two try to free Hayes.

Hunter then kicks one of the henchmen in the back of the knee making the other one point their gun are her and Tim after he took down the other henchman as well. "Drop your guns in the sand! Get down on your stomachs now!" Tim yelled. 

"No." Nolan said, getting out of the hut and pointing his gun at the henchman trying to free Hayes.

"Get down now!" Tim yelled.

"Hands behind your back." Nolan ordered.

The three men are handcuffed as Hayes looks blearily on. "So I'm guessing my immunity deal's out the window," Tim walks up the ramp and stands in front of Hayes, who looks up at him. "And your girlfriend packs one hell of a punch." He adds.

Tim kneels down in front of Hayes. "You're right, the deal's shot. Also, she's not my girlfriend, she's a fellow vet and the remarks you've been making about her will be taken into account, Detective Lopez is a well respected former soldier for the United States Army and a well known Detective, having met two presidents of America, Barack Obama and George W. Bush, so I'd be worried if I were you." Hayes rightfully looks frightened at that, sparing a glance at Hunter who glared at him.

***

Del Monte is walking with Tim, Hunter and Nolan in the bullpen of the station. "So I guess it's our bad." Del Monte said.

"Your "bad"? Your guys were supposed to give Hayes a thorough pat-down before bringing him to the safe house. How the hell did they miss a tracking device?" Hunter asked.

"Well, they didn't - the deputy who patted him down confessed to slipping Hayes the tracking chip. He's in custody now, too." Del Monte said.

"So what's gonna happen to Hayes?" Nolan asked.

"Well, he's facing a half a dozen new charges, including three counts of attempted murder. He'll do 20 years, easy. That's if he still cooperates." Del Monte

***

After that day, Hunter goes home with Tim, following in her own car. The two walked into the house. "Angela called, said you two almost got killed." Lexi said walking into the main part of the house from her bedroom.

"Yep, we did, how'd you go at school during the earthquake?" Hunter asked her.

"Fine, those of us who can drive without an adult were able to go home early. The windows broke, so I just put up the spare fly screen that we have in the shed just until we can get them repaired, also, we need new photo frames and glasses, bowls and plates seeing as they broke but other than that the house is fine." Lexi said.

"That was clever." Tim said, walking over to the living room windows and opening the blinds slightly to check. "Luckily the security system still works." Tim adds, checking the system.

Hunter's phone rang and she noticed it was Grant, she placed the phone down on the bench and answered on speaker. "Hey, how bad is the apartment?" She asked, skipping over the pleasantries.

"It's not great, but the owner of the building's going to repair the windows and such, except we have to pay for the things we already owned when we moved into the apartment." Grant replied.

"What about Daisy, how's she?" Hunter asked.

"At the hospital, she got injured but her wound's superficial, so I'm gonna go see her soon." Grant replied.

"Well, I won't keep you. Tell Daisy I say hello." Hunter said.

"Shall do. See you tomorrow Hunter." Grant said.

"Bye." After that, the two of them hung up. "Right, does the TV still work?" Hunter asked.

"Yeah." Lexi replied.

"Good." Hunter said sitting herself on the couch and turning Tim's TV on, Tim and Lexi both joined her, watching the news broadcast before switching the reruns of Top Chef.

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I enjoyed this episode.

Also, in this story the birth order of the Lopez siblings goes like this:

Damien Lopez (Priest): Born 1980

Benjamin "Benny" (Investor) Lopez: Born 1981

Cruz Lopez (Ex druggie): Born 1982

Hunter "Hunt" Lopez (Detective, Army Vet): Born 1983

Bruno Lopez (Living in NYC since college): Born 1986

Angela Lopez (P3 in LAPD): Born 1989.

So it's mostly sticking to canon, I just added Hunter in and made up the birth years so that way they revolved around Hunter's birth year which is 1983.