Chapter One

When he came into work that day he hadn't expected anything to be different. He'd gone in and hung his coat up, flirted with Sam a little and eventually made his way to his desk. On it were two things that weren't there the night before; a cup of steaming coffee and a file.

He ignored the coffee, because who knew what was in it even though they were in a police station, and picked up the file. A sticky note read on the front...

To Stone Cold,

I owe you a debt of gratitude, may the information in this file help you with your case.

The Jackal

He looked around the station in confusion but nothing else seemed amiss. He didn't know who Stone Cold was but he'd heard of the Jackal. An infamous hacker near the top of their most wanted list. Why he would be sending information to him and because of a debt of gratitude was a worrying thought.

Looking inside, he spent at least an hour reading the text and he couldn't believe it. Anything he needed to get a conviction on his case was there and the evidence was so damning it was over-kill. He suddenly felt embarrassed a criminal had been able to get this much evidence on a case he'd been struggling on and he had gotten closer to the suspect than anyone in the department.

First though he had to find out if any of this information was authentic, then he would hunt the Jackal down.

***

After he had shown his report to his boss and given him the file he had received by the Jackal along with all the follow ups he had done proving all the information correct. His boss was furious, thinking the Jackal was making a mockery of them and set Jason on the case right away.

Winifred, their technician rushed in. Raynor immediately glared at her ready to tell her to get out when she interrupted him.

"Sorry to interrupt but the Jackal has taken over our computers and is asking to speak to Jason."

Jason looked at how Raynor's face was slowly getting redder as he was about to lose it. He had to hide a smile because he didn't like his boss' techniques sometimes and it was fun seeing him get angry.

"Is it alright if I go?" He asked, but didn't wait for an answer as he followed Winifred. He followed her to a computer and all that was written on its flickering black displays were the words, IS THIS STONE COLD? Any response Winifred had written to this had been ignored and the question repeated.

Eventually Winifred had asked who Stone Cold was and who was calling. Jason smirked at the sarcastic bite knowing Winifred was furious someone messed with her computers. There was finally a different response asking for Jason Morgan from the Jackal.

He wrote back that he was there and pressed enter. A second later, a lot faster at typing than he was he received a response.

The Jackal: Good Evening, Stone Cold.

Jason: Why do you keep calling me Stone Cold?

The Jackal: It is my friends name for you; he says you have a very menacing glare, enough to frighten the worst of wrong doers.

Jason: Why did you send me the information? What do you want?

The Jackal: I want nothing. You did me a great turn saving another of my friends and I simply wanted to repay you.

Jason: Repay me by fixing these computers and turning yourself in.

The Jackal: I just wondered if the information I had given you was enough to convict.

Jason: It's more than enough.

The Jackal: Then, that's all I needed to hear. I wish you all the luck and happiness, Stone Cold. And thank you once again for saving my friend. I could not have lost the blonde one.

The screen flickered once again and resumed to a normal state. He looked at Winifred bemused; looked like they were doing this the hard way.

***

It didn't take long to look over past records and find out the last female he saved was. He assumed the blonde one was female as it didn't fit that someone would refer to a guy as blonde. He was surprised she was a university student. He wondered why The Jackal hung out with university students but didn't want to continue that realm of thought.

Lulu, he decided to follow her and see where that led.

***

He was surprised when he found her almost immediately. He'd asked around and found she spent most evenings in the library. He'd found her at a table and was about to go up to her when another kid rushed past him.

"How are thee, today Blonde one?" The new kid asked, sitting down and he knew he was finally getting somewhere. They were an odd pair. Lulu was a beautiful blonde, the type to be head cheerleader whereas the new boy screamed geek. Yet Lulu smiled at him all the same.

"I'm good. What've you been up to? I haven't seen you in ages!" She said.

"Just working on a secret project," he said proudly. "How about you, are you okay?" He said suddenly worried.

"I'm fine, Spinelli. I've told you a million times."

Jason took this cue to sit down with them. Lulu looked surprised but the boy Spinelli had the weirdest reaction of all. He blushed and drew back his bag to his chest looking like he wanted to run but finally deciding he shouldn't. He watched Jason with interest. He recognises me, Jason thought. Maybe he was a lot closer than he had originally thought.

"Hello, Lulu, my names Detective Jason Morgan." He said flashing his badge.

"Oh, yeah!" I remember, you and your team got me out of that hostage situation a month back. I was meaning to come by and say thank you but I decided you would be too busy after that whole mess."

"Its fine, I believe someone else thanked me for you." Lulu looked at him confused but Spinelli jumped up.

"I guess I should leave you guys too it. I'll just be going now." Spinelli laughed nervously. He was about to run off but Jason had already stood and grabbed his arm.

"Sit down." He said warningly, and stared him down until he did as he was told. Spinelli did, looking shy, scared and full of awe all at the same time. Lulu was confused and a little angry at the exchange.

"What's this about detective? And why are you harassing Spinelli? He didn't have anything to do with the hostage situation."

"I believe you have been in contact with a hacker named the Jackal. The Jackal helped me close a case I've been working on and now I've been assigned to capture him. He mentioned in our last exchange, he owed me for saving a friend of his which he let slip was a girl." Jason told them.

"Well, t...that doesn't mean anything. I'm sure a man of extreme male prowess like yourself is always s...saving beautiful women like the kind and fair Lulu." What started out as a panicked statement from Spinelli slipped into him staring at the girl beside him dreamily. It was clear the kid was hiding something or had serious concentration issues.

"Trust me, this job is less flashy then it looks. The only female I have *saved* in the last few months is your friend Lulu. He also mentioned another friend who gave me a weird name and as I came in I noticed you didn't call Lulu by her name either. And I'm thinking that's a pretty rare habit for someone to have so you two may know the Jackal or at the very least he knows you."

They both stared at him, Lulu incredulously and Spinelli nervously.

"Look, neither of us knows any hacker's." Lulu snapped at him. "Spinelli's amazing when it comes to computers but he is too sweet to know anyone who might be on your most wanted list, so I think whoever this guy is probably just got on our facebook pages and is just messing with you."Lulu snapped, she collected her stuff and stormed off before Jason could stop her.

That wasn't exactly true. Jason didn't stop her because as she was walking past, he felt a hand touch his arm.

"Stone Cold..." Spinelli said, it was amazing the way he managed to say words with several different emotions at once. What he said was somehow a warning to let Lulu go, a plead not to get angry with him, an air of respect, resignation and happiness to meet him, all in one.

"You..." it was all Jason could say. He had wondered if Lulu was right because these kids didn't seem the type to get mixed up with a feared hacker. But he couldn't deny what he had heard with his own two ears.

"I've been meaning to come to see you Stone Cold. The Jackal wishes to make a trade." He was more serious now that Lulu was gone, which surprised Jason.

"What kind of trade?" He asked suspiciously.

"He surmised that if he helps you solve a few of your err...more problematic cases, maybe he could get immunity...you know... for his past crimes and start...a...afresh."

"I would have to talk to my boss."

"Well that's fine. I will be here every day. Just um... don't tell Lulu. She doesn't know the Jackal, it was me who asked the Jackal to help you as thanks... please...?