"What's happening up ahead?"
Jack and JJ were planning to return to the suspect's residence via Highway 134 and regroup with Rossi and the others, but they got stuck in a massive traffic jam. The line of cars stretched far out of sight.
Fortunately, since they were on duty, Jack slowly drove along the emergency lane until they reached the source of the traffic.
"Damn it, it's these miserable folks again."
Jack was glad he hadn't turned on the siren, as the road was blocked by a group of climate activists, or rather, extreme environmentalists. They had placed a dead tree trunk and several old tires in the middle of the road and hung up a banner. A few creatures of indeterminate gender and race were singing and dancing on the highway, while a cameraman and someone who appeared to be a journalist were filming nearby.
The banner was full of misspelled words, making it hard to tell exactly what these people were protesting. Jack pulled the handbrake, sighed, and pretended to be just another inconsiderate driver occupying the emergency lane, avoiding stepping out of the car unless absolutely necessary.
Climate activists were like a pile of dog poop—disgusting and something no one wanted to deal with. Most people caught up in this situation could only endure it, maybe cursing a bit, but anyone who dared to take action would surely be tangled up in trouble afterward.
As Jack was debating whether to call Tim to get the California Highway Patrol (CHP) or the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department (LASD) to handle the situation, an elderly white man with white hair and glasses stepped out of the car stuck at the front.
He looked like he'd been stuck for quite a while and had finally lost his patience. Walking straight up to one of the mysterious creatures carrying a flag, he tried to negotiate, but they completely ignored him.
Jack, still in his car, couldn't hear what they were saying, but it was clear the old man's attempt at communication wasn't working. The protesters were yelling and dancing even louder, and the cameraman and the journalist turned their cameras on the elderly man.
Jack glanced at his phone. It was getting late, and he worried that by the time they got back, it would already be dark.
"Jack, a gun!" JJ suddenly warned from the passenger seat.
Jack looked up to see the elderly man, who appeared to be at least in his seventies or eighties, waving a Glock at the climate activists.
"Trouble!" Jack quickly put on his sunglasses and was about to place his portable police light on the car roof.
At that moment, the climate activists became even more excited. One cameraman even positioned himself behind the old man, trying to get the perfect angle. The flag-bearer puffed out his chest, spitting as he loudly said something, seemingly trying to strike a fearless pose for the camera.
Jack opened the car door and finally heard their conversation.
"Do you want to kill someone?" shouted the flag-bearing activist.
"Do you want to be the first?" The elderly man's voice was calm, as if the person in front of him wasn't a human being but a piece of trash. Jack had a bad feeling.
The argument seemed like it would continue, but in the next second...
"Bang!" A gunshot rang out, and the flag-bearer collapsed. The other climate activists were stunned, seemingly unable to believe that the old man had actually fired.
One of the activists, wearing a dark blue T-shirt, appeared to want to argue further.
"Bang!"
Another shot. This time, the activists seemed to finally realize that the elderly man was serious. They screamed and scattered.
"Damn it!" Jack had no choice but to get out of the car now.
"FBI! Drop your weapon!" Jack and JJ shouted simultaneously as they opened their doors. They didn't approach immediately, using the bulletproof doors of their SUV as cover and drawing their Glock 22s, aiming them at the elderly man.
After firing the shots, the elderly man didn't continue his rampage. Instead, he calmly turned around, glanced at the two agents pointing their guns at him, and began clearing the debris from the road.
This old man was unnervingly calm. Jack had a million thoughts racing through his mind but couldn't put any of them into words.
"Drop your weapon! This is your final warning!" Jack shouted again.
"How do I know you're law enforcement?" The old man didn't even bother to turn around this time, speaking slowly.
Jack and JJ exchanged glances and reluctantly showed their badges.
The old man glanced back again before finally dropping his gun to the ground with a "clink." He then turned around, raised his hands, and placed them behind his head.
Jack quickly moved forward, kicked the gun aside, and cuffed him. He glanced at the two bodies on the ground—one had been shot in the heart, with blood pooling around him. He was clearly gone.
The other one seemed to have been shot in the lungs and was lying on the ground, foaming at the mouth like a crab, except what he was coughing up was blood.
Jack could probably save him, but he had no interest. Dealing with these people was asking for trouble, and if he saved this one, he might even end up being sued.
These climate activists were backed by wealthy patrons, and whether they were disrupting the streets or vandalizing art, their goal was to attract attention. Once arrested, teams of lawyers would come to bail them out.
The police officers who arrested them often faced complaints and difficulties, so Jack had no interest in creating problems for the department or for himself.
Seeing the FBI respond so quickly, a few of the climate activists finally stepped forward, though none of them knew first aid. They just stood next to the injured and started calling 911.
A few others, seeing law enforcement present, seemed to want to say or do something, but Jack smoothly escorted the old man into his SUV and locked the doors.
Now, no one could question why he wasn't providing first aid. He had to protect the suspect.
Twenty minutes later, two LASD patrol cars and an ambulance arrived from the opposite lane, but by then, the injured protester had already stopped breathing.
After handing the elderly man over to the LASD, Jack and JJ learned more about him. The old man was a professor and lawyer, already 77 years old.
More details were unclear, but it was certain that this man would be a hot topic for some time, likely becoming as famous as the top gunmen in certain online communities.
Since the climate activists had brought their own cameraman and reporter, the full footage of the incident was broadcast on the news that evening. However, thanks to JJ's effective communication, the part showing the FBI's swift response was removed from the final edit.
Jack checked the online news, where one particular photo stood out. It captured the exact moment the elderly professor fired, with the spent shell casing clearly visible.
The old professor's expression, as he fired, seemed to say, "I'll lower your carbon emissions right now."
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