Ep 02 - T-Minus Zero

The morning traffic along the harbor moved slowly, trucks and vans crawling toward the docks. Cargo cranes rose in the distance like giant metal skeletons. Inside the car, Detective Antonio Cardona drove relaxed. Mei-Ling sat in the passenger seat, watching the port area grow closer through the windshield. Trella sat quietly in the back seat.

Cardona glanced at Mei-Ling. “I've had a lot of partners over the years, but never this young. What is this junior program anyway? In Delaware we didn’t have anything like that.”

Mei-Ling shrugged lightly. “It’s part of a special program tied to a new NSA division. Experimental stuff. We’re the first batch.”

Cardona raised an eyebrow. “Experimental, huh? Sounds comforting.”

She smirked. “You get used to it.”

Cardona chuckled. “You look like you’re enjoying it.” His eyes flicked briefly to the rearview mirror. “But your friend back there… not so much. Is she always this serious?”

Mei-Ling turned slightly to look behind her. Trella stared out the window, expression hard and unreadable. Mei-Ling blinked, then quickly faced forward again. “Yikes,” she muttered. “Actually… no. Never seen her like that.”

Cardona frowned. “Bad morning?”

Mei-Ling shook her head. “No... She’s probably just pissed.”

Cardona gave her a curious look. “At me?”

“Not personally,” Mei-Ling said. “She should already be running her own cases. Final rotation and all that. Having a supervisor now probably feels like a step backward.”

Cardona nodded slowly. “Yeah… Braxton does things his way. Old school, stubborn as a brick wall. But he cares. Even if he sounds like he’s about to chew through the desk half the time.”

Mei-Ling smiled slightly. “That sounds about right.”

The car turned toward the harbor. Rows of cargo containers and warehouse buildings came into view, police lights flashing in the distance near one of the docks. “Looks like we’re here.”

Trella finally moved, her gaze moving toward the warehouse ahead. She didn’t say a word.

The car doors closed with dull metallic thuds. The harbor air smelled of oil and saltwater. Two officers and the coroner were already inside the taped-off area. Cardona approached them. “So, what do we have?”

One of the officers gestured toward the warehouse interior. “Male, twenty-nine. Impaled by the hook of a small warehouse crane. The Doctor ruled out suicide.”

Cardona nodded slowly. “So the question is… accident or murder.”

He turned to the girls. “I’ll question the witnesses. You two check the area. Look for anything that helps us figure out which one it is.”

The building was big. One part was stacked with large wooden crates, each marked with government seals and shipping labels. That immediately caught their attention.

Mei-Ling headed straight toward the small office. “Let’s check the manifests. See what’s inside those crates and what our guy was doing.”

Trella followed silently. Inside, Mei-Ling began flipping through paperwork. Shipping forms, work schedules, delivery receipts. Then she froze. She stared at one page, then another. Slowly she looked up at Trella with an expression of pure disbelief.

Trella frowned slightly. “What is it?”

Mei-Ling held up the document. “You know what’s in those boxes? Two hundred ballistic dummies. For NCIS.”

Trella blinked. They both slowly turned toward the other side where the stacked crates sat like silent witnesses. Then they looked back at each other and allowed themselves a faint malicious chuckle.

“I thought Anya was joking.”

Mei-Ling snorted. “That´s going to be fun to watch.”

She flipped another page. “According to this, our deceased was operating the warehouse crane, loading containers and materials onto trucks.”

Trella stepped to the office window and looked toward the crane mechanism. Her eyes traced the metal rail where the crane arm had been parked earlier. “When the body was found,” she said quietly, “the crane was here.”

She pointed at the position. “And there’s no way he could have reached the hook from that railing.”

Mei-Ling followed her line of sight.

Trella continued. “I think someone moved the crane after he was already hanging from it.”

Mei-Ling nodded slowly. “That definitely rules out suicide. There are easier ways to die.”

She leaned against the desk. “And probably an accident too.”

She closed the file. “Let’s check the control room.”

Trella nodded. “You do that.”

She turned toward the warehouse floor. “I’ll check the area underneath.”

The warehouse felt colder away from the office lights. Metal shelving ran along the wall. Safety chains hung loosely, swaying slightly whenever the wind moved through the open loading doors. Trella stopped. Her eyes drifted across the hanging chains. One clinked softly against the metal shelf. For a second the sound echoed strangely in the empty building. Trella didn’t move. Her gaze fixed on the chain, then on the rusted hook above it. Her fingers twitched slightly. Footsteps approached. Mei-Ling came down from the control room. “Yep,” she said. “You were right. The crane controls show movement after the estimated time of death.”

She stopped. Trella was standing perfectly still. Just staring at the chains.

“Trella?”

No response. Mei-Ling stepped closer. “Trella...”

Still nothing. She reached out and touched her shoulder. “Trella! You okay?”

Trella slowly turned her head. Her voice came out quiet. Flat. Almost distant. “Yes… nothing interesting here.”

Then she turned away and walked toward the exit. Mei-Ling watched her leave.

Something’s wrong with her.

Cardona was talking to a dock worker when the girls returned. He finished the conversation and turned toward them. “Looks like our victim owed money to a few people,” he said. “Nothing unusual for dock work.”

Mei-Ling nodded. “We found something too. The crane was moved after he died. And there’s a small blood trail leading out of the warehouse. Just a few drops. Probably the victim’s.”

Cardona nodded, impressed. “I’ll have the coroner run a sample. Good work.”

Then he folded his arms. “So tell me — what would you do next?”

Mei-Ling didn’t hesitate. “Check the employee roster. See if anyone is missing. Then follow any financial connections to the victim.”

Cardona smiled slightly. “Very good.”

Then he pointed toward the surrounding warehouses. “But first we need to find the actual crime scene. If the body was moved, it happened somewhere nearby. I’ll take care of the roster. You two play bloodhound.”

Mei-Ling glanced around. “Where’s Trella?”

Cardona pointed toward a neighboring warehouse. “Right there.”

Trella stood in the open doorway of an empty building. She hadn’t moved in minutes. Just staring inside. Cardona frowned slightly. “Is she always like that?”

Mei-Ling watched her friend carefully. “No. This isn’t like her at all.”

Mei-Ling approached carefully. The building inside was almost completely empty. Just a few hanging hooks, loose chains, dark oil stains on the concrete floor and a flickering fluorescent light overhead. Trella stood in the middle of it. Unmoving.

“Trella?”

No response. Mei-Ling stepped closer.

“Don’t tell me you’re fine,” she said softly. “Because you’re not.”

She shook Trella’s shoulder. Trella jerked slightly. “Huh? What?!”

Mei-Ling frowned. “Something’s bothering you. You spaced out several times already.”

Trella’s jaw tightened. “I’m fine.”

Mei-Ling didn’t buy it. “Trella—”

“Leave me alone!” The words snapped out sharper than intended. Trella turned and walked away. Mei-Ling watched her go.

She’s definitely not fine. And I have no idea why.

Later that afternoon the scene was secured and the preliminary report prepared. Cardona was going through paperwork while the girls signed their sections. He checked his watch. As he reached for the next file, his sleeve shifted. A large scar ran across his left forearm became visible. Mei-Ling noticed immediately.

“Wow,” she said. “That looks nasty.”

Cardona glanced down. “Oh that? I had a lucky encounter with a glass shard.”

Mei-Ling raised an eyebrow. “Doesn’t look lucky to me.”

Cardona chuckled. “The doctor said if it had hit me one millimeter either direction it would’ve cut the nerves. So… That's why lucky.”

Mei-Ling nodded slowly. Trella said nothing. Her eyes locked onto the scar. Her fingers twitched, so did her lips. Just slightly.

***

The living room was lively in a way it hadn’t been for a while. Suitcases stood near the wall, travel bags half-open. Someone had already brought snacks and drinks from the kitchen. Yuno sat on the couch, looking around with wide curious eyes. “So this is where you all live now,” she said softly.

Michelle leaned against the armrest. “Pretty much. Headquarters, dormitory, training ground, occasional war zone.”

Rio chuckled tiredly from the chair nearby. “Sounds peaceful.”

Aya stretched lazily across the other side of the couch. “Most days it actually is.”

Maya came in from the kitchen carrying drinks. “Well… compared to what it used to be...” She handed one to Yuno. “You two must be exhausted. Long flight?”

Rio nodded. Yuno laughed quietly. “But I don’t want to sleep yet. I want to see everything first.”

She looked around again, taking in the room, the walls, the people. “It still feels a little unreal to finally be here.”

Michelle smiled warmly. “We’re glad you are.”

Aya tilted her head. “So what do you think of America so far?”

“The airport was very big.”

That earned a round of light laughter. Rio added, “And very loud.”

Aya grinned. “You’ll get used to that.”

For a moment the room settled into a comfortable silence. Then Yuno spoke again. “Well… I still have a few years of school ahead of me, but… I already decided what I want to do after that.”

Michelle raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

Yuno continued. “The police academy.”

Michelle blinked. “Wow. That’s a big step.”

Yuno gave a small, thoughtful smile. “You and otōsan inspired me. I mean… you were all guns for hire once.” Her eyes moved around the room. “And look where you are now.”

She hesitated for a moment before continuing. “And I… well… I may not remember everything anymore, but I know I hurt a lot of people in the past.”

The room grew quiet. Yuno lowered her gaze slightly. “If I can do at least this much to atone even a little… I want to do that.”

No one spoke for a moment. Because what she said didn’t just belong to her. It belonged to all of them. The badges they wore now weren’t just careers. They were redemption.

Michelle finally smiled softly. “I think you’d make a good cop.”

The front door opened. Mei-Ling walked in first, kicking off her shoes. “Hey everyone.”

Then Trella stepped inside behind her. She stopped when she saw the full room.

Yuno brightened immediately. “Trella-chan!”

She stood up quickly. Trella looked at her. For a brief moment her expression softened. But the warmth vanished almost immediately. “Hi.” Her tone was short. Flat. The room noticed. Yuno stepped closer. “It’s been so long! I—”

Trella brushed past her toward the stairs. Michelle frowned. “Trella?”

She stopped halfway up. “What?”

Aya sat up slightly. “You okay?”

Trella’s shoulders tightened. “I’m fine.”

Mei-Ling crossed her arms. “No, you’re not.”

Trella turned around slowly. Her eyes looked tired. Irritated. “Can we not do this right now?”

The room went quiet again. Michelle spoke carefully. “What happened today?”

Trella’s jaw tightened. “Nothing!”

Mei-Ling didn’t believe that for a second. “You spaced out half the day.”

Trella snapped. “I said I’m fine!”

The sudden edge in her voice startled everyone. Even Yuno stepped back slightly. Trella seemed to realize it too. But she didn’t apologize. Instead she turned back toward the stairs.

“Where are you going?” Michelle asked.

Trella didn’t look back. “Bed.”

The room fell silent as she disappeared upstairs. Everyone exchanged confused looks. Mei-Ling sighed quietly. “That… wasn’t normal.”

Michelle nodded slowly. Something was definitely wrong.

***

Morning sunlight filtered through the curtains. Mei-Ling slowly opened her eyes. Something felt off. She turned her head toward the other bed. Empty. That alone wasn’t unusual. Trella was an early riser. But then she noticed something on the table beside the bed. Trella’s pendant. She sat up immediately. That pendant never left Trella’s neck. A second detail caught her eye. The top drawer of Trella’s desk was slightly open. Mei-Ling pulled it open the rest of the way. Inside were neatly arranged personal items. But one thing was missing - her combat knife. Mei’s heartbeat accelerated instantly. Trella hadn’t touched that knife since the day they rescued Yuno. She grabbed the pendant and rushed out of the room.

Several of the girls were already in the kitchen preparing breakfast. Mei-Ling burst in. “Girls! Has anyone seen Trella?!”

Michelle looked up. “No. Why?”

“Her bed is empty. I can’t find her anywhere.”

Aya shrugged slightly. “Trella’s an early riser.”

“True,” Mei said quickly, “but you saw how she was acting yesterday. And look.” She opened her hand so they could see the pendant. “There’s more. Her combat knife is gone.”

The room went quiet. Michelle’s eyes widened slightly. “That’s her pendant… She never takes it off.”

Mei nodded. “I know. I’m worried. Really worried.”

She pulled out her phone. “I’m calling her.”

The phone rang. And rang. No answer. A moment later footsteps approached. Yuno walked into the kitchen. “Ohayō. Mei, I heard a phone ringing. I think it came from your room.”

The concern in the room immediately deepened. Yuno frowned. “What did I miss?”

Mei answered quietly. “Trella’s missing.”

Yuno blinked. “Missing? I saw her earlier.”

Every head turned toward her. “When?”

Yuno thought for a moment. “Around four? She went downstairs.” Yuno hesitated. “Oh, no...”

Mei shook her head immediately. “No. Don’t blame yourself. This is my fault. I should have listened to my gut. She was acting strange the whole day ever since Braxton introduced us to Cardona.”

Michelle tilted her head. “Who?”

“Antonio Cardona. The supervisor I told you about.”

Amelie looked up from the table. “That name sounds Italian.”

Mei nodded slowly. “Because it is. Born there.”

Amelie’s expression changed. Not amused. Not curious. Concerned. “…Crap. Is it possible—”

She didn’t finish the sentence. But the implication was clear. A cold silence filled the room.

Amelie spoke again. “Mei-Ling. Try calling him.”

Mei dialed the number. The call didn’t even ring. The phone was switched off. Amelie looked up again. “Do you know where he lives?”

“Yes,” Mei answered immediately. “Apartment in Severn.”

Michelle grabbed her jacket. “That’s close. Let’s go.”

***

The car stopped in front of a quiet apartment complex. The five girls hurried inside and moved quickly down the hallway. They reached Cardona’s door. Michelle knocked hard.

“Detective! Open up!”

Silence. Mei stepped forward. “Tony! Tony!”

Still nothing. Michelle and Aya exchanged a look. No words were needed. Everyone stepped back. One kick and the door burst open. For a second nobody moved. Then they looked inside. And the world stopped.

Detective Cardona—or what was left of him—lay on the floor. The room was soaked in blood. And in the middle of it…Trella sat motionless beside the body. Silent. Completely still.