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> The officer's shoes clopped audibly against worn, cracked cement stairs considerably older than the newer buildings at this end of the bay.  Short lengths of rebar peeked out from some of the busted step corners, threatening to catch any unsuspecting traveler and send them on a painful tumble down the rocky slope.  They at least weren't a concern for Ryan, whose step were quick and adept, and bypassed these dangers with old patience to deliver him to the dock.  He did have to wonder though, did their potential victim succumb to this hazard?
> 
> No, the bulkhead jutted too far out; a person would have to roll quite a distance to actually reach the dock and fall off it.  Maybe some late-evening tom-foolery, or underage drinking? These possibilities and more were beginning to run like a slide show through Ryan's thoughts, with him already trying to solve a crises he hadn't yet laid eyes on.  
> 
> [i][b]-Havi- [/b][/i] 
> 
> Ryan had slowed just before stepping onto the rain-slicked pier, partly because he needed to switch roles and now follow the kid, and partly because the boy was answering him back with a name that he didn't recognize any more than the teen's youthful face.  Javi's next words came with a demand and some lip, something that Ryan wasn't a stranger to on these streets.  Maintaining his cool, the officer answered back on the move across the dark, wooden planks, "[b]Officer Sohmers, badge number 1832.[/b]"
> 
> '[i]This kid is street smart.  I don't see any colors though.[/i]' These were the new details that interrupted his thoughts, if only very briefly.  They'd reached the railing now, where Ryan joined the other in scanning the murky ocean that lapped viciously around the algae-covered pilings.  He pulled a flashlight from his belt and sent it darting over the waters, scanning it back and forth in a quick, desperate sweep.  When Javier leaned up against the railing, Ryan reached a hand out to his shoulder to offer a firm shove back, "[b]Careful kid, we don't need a second victim down there. Step back.[/b]"  Ryan himself leaned out, darting the beam of light as far back as he could beneath them, but he couldn't get a full view blow the planks from their location.  His voice rose as he called out, "[b]Is anyone down there?[/b]"
> 
> Of course, there was nothing but the constant crash of waves rolling back and forth across the rocks and beach, and the occasional whistle of wind as it chased the storm out towards the horizon.  Ryan paced quickly to the other side of the pier and leaned over, but again saw nothing.  He glanced at his watch, trying to gauge how much time might have passed since Javi's undelivered call to dispatch, and where they stood now.  [i]8:26[/i].  If there was a drowning victim, it wasn't looking good.
> 
> "[b]Did you see anyone else out here, Havi[/b]?"  His eyes were for the water still as he asked this, searching in vain for the small body Javi swore he'd seen.  What was a kid doing out by the water at this hour, and in this weather that could have ended in such potential tragedy?  Wait... why [i]was[/i] there a kid out here, all by themselves?  Though his priority remained on locating the victim, Ryan did turn a quick look to the living teen, "[b]How old are you?  This isn't a safe place for a kid to be, at these hours.[/b]"