Cross tapped the dash screen. Police Simulator Patrol Duty-CODEX flashed its splash screen—a legal relic from the department’s transition to full-body cams and predictive AI. The CODEX overlay wasn’t a game. It was the department’s new case-logging and evidence-synthesis engine, nicknamed “Codex” because it turned patrol work into a checklist of charges, fines, and report templates.

Cross didn’t fire. He sidestepped, swept Kane’s legs, and pinned him to the wet grass in one smooth motion—a takedown he’d practiced a thousand times in the simulator. Handcuffs clicked. Kane sobbed into the dirt.

“To arrest a nurse.”

“He’s breathing, but barely. The car didn’t even slow down. Just—just whoosh .”

Cross stared at her. “A man is dying in the street, and Codex wants to fine him for jaywalking?”

“Drop the crowbar, Douglas.”

The liquor store camera caught it: a green Toyota Corolla, 2018 model, speeding east on Vine. The plate was blurry, but the driver’s face was visible for a split second as he passed under a streetlight. Cross froze the frame. Clean-shaven, white male, ball cap, sunglasses at night. Trying to hide his face.