Years Later...

"Is she ready?"

"Been in training for months now, ready to be dispatched."

"I must say, Logan, I'm impressed. A K9 officer at twenty-six isn't common, much less one with expertise on animal behavior."

"Well, double majors do have their perks," he let out a hearty chuckle.

"Double major? Impressive. I wouldn't be surprised if you end up in the major ranks before you hit your mid-thirties."

Garfield grinned but didn't say anything. The vehicle came to a halt outside the target premise. A couple of police cars were already parked at the sight, along with another K9 unit. He spotted Dick already directing a few of his apprentices. Even from the distance, he emitted the sort of authoritative and leadership aura he had since high school, and the newbies appeared to be terrified of the guy. Then again, if Garfield hadn't known Dick since high school, he would've also been intimidated by a guy who rose up the law enforcement ranks faster than his own mentor had.

After spotting Garfield, Dick quickly wrapped up his conversation and strolled towards him. Garfield greeted him with the usual goofy smile he had donned throughout his high school career. Besides his higher education, muscular frame, taller height, and his newfound respect from many of the rookies as well as some of the higher up's of the law enforcement track like Mr. Queen, Garfield hadn't changed much. He held the same mischievous spark that made him one of a kind, except it now served as his charisma and the ladies adored it.

"Ready?"

"Yep," Garfield nodded as he unlatched the back door. "Blue, come here girl," he called the burly, long-haired, dark German Shepard down from the vehicle.

She hopped down with her usual effortless and lavish demeanor (she was quite the diva after all) flaunting off her new K9 unit vest. Garfield had been assigned to the dog almost a year prior. Though he hadn't originally planned on pursuing a Criminal Justice degree during high school, he found himself with an odd desire to do so after graduating. By the time Dick had suggested he pair it with his Animal Behavior degree and train for a K9 officer position, there hadn't been a doubt in his mind. It had been the best decision Garfield had taken considering he adored the job, and he especially loved having Blue as his partner in crime (well, technically partner in law).

Today was Blue's first official and serious assignment as a fresh graduate from the K9 academy, and she looked to be as thrilled as Garfield was.

"Ready, girl?" he caressed the thick coat on her neck. He took the torn blouse Dick held out to him and raised it to Blue's nose. Then, he took a deep breath before announcing the long over-due phrase. "Search!" he commanded, and Blue rushed forwards, her nose buried on the ground in search of the missing girl's scent.

Blue led them past the abandoned warehouse and towards the woods behind it. They struggled through the thick branches and bushes, Blue's face practically hidden below the greenery. After walking almost a mile away from their arrival destination, Blue came to a halt and sniffed around a particular spot on the ground.

"Find something, girl?" Garfield asked.

Blue sat down and looked up at him. Dick and Garfield exchanged glances.

Dick kneeled down and traced a hand across the dirt, soon discovering that it was obscuring a wooden trapdoor beneath. Once he was able to find a handle, he opened the trapdoor. It revealed a sort of sewer system below, and once the command was given, Blue didn't hesitate on hopping down, landing gracefully on her paws as she did. They continued to follow the trace with their flashlights until they finally ran into a hidden door amidst the darkness.

Dick hurriedly opened it up and silently signaled for the officers behind him to follow. The room was lit up by a few candles, and upon turning the corner, they found them: five girls, ages ten to nineteen, all crammed in a corner with tape over their mouths and limbs tied together with thick rope. Their expressions were that of utter fear.

They wasted no time in untying them and providing medical help to the ones who required it.

"It's alright. You're okay now," Garfield consoled a smaller girl whose eyes were wide with terror as she watched another trail of policemen burst through the doors.

Upon helping all of the girls out of the sewer, Dick began to question one of the girls on who had held them captive. Garfield stood to the side on his knees and running his hands through Blue's fur to reward her.

"There were two men who came in often… They brought in food, and they escorted us to the restrooms. We were originally kept in this big house but they moved us here after a while. I'm not sure why… They didn't come to feed us or watch us, they just disappeared… We thought we were going to die," the oldest girl explained, her eyes shut tightly and tears forming at the brims. She took a moment to inhale a calming breath before continuing. "They had a leader, a tall man with white hair and light skin." Garfield looked up, the description igniting a familiar resentment within his gut. "They never mentioned anyone's names… They went by code names. Dragon, Bull, Gorilla… those are the few I remember. Then there's the one they mentioned most often. I think it was… T-trigon. That's… That's everything I know."

Garfield clenched his fists, the fire abruptly dispersing across his whole body and sending waves of outrage throughout. He hadn't heard the name in a long time, since his unfortunate last meeting with Raven. The day he hadn't been able to wipe out from his memory.

"Thank you, Melany. Your information is really helpful. We'll do everything we can to avenge your captors. We're going to send you off to your family and place you under surveillance. You're safe now. I promise," Dick placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, and the girl slowly nodded. He sent her off with Mr. Queen who led the girls to the vehicle they'd be sent home on.

"Trigon," Dick repeated while scribbling something on his notebook.

"Why do you think they left them here?" Garfield questioned as he righted himself.

"My guess? Trigon wanted them gone for whatever reason, and he ordered his pawns to leave them stranded somewhere they wouldn't be found or couldn't escape," he theorized. "They didn't count on us having this place under surveillance after they reported it for suspicious activity. Unless it was a set-up, that they wanted us to find them," he clenched his fists and shook his head, "All we have left is to catch that son of a bitch, but he's practically a ghost in the system. If only we could have one clue. It'd be all it could take to finally bust him."

Garfield breathed in, knowing full-well what he was about to disclose could change everything. He looked around, making sure there wasn't anyone else close enough to hear. "Dick, I think I might have some valuable information, but it's going to need a lot of further investigation."

"About?" Dick raised an intrigued eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"About Trigon's identity," he stated. Dick stared at Garfield with an unreadable expression, a sign that he was waiting for him to elaborate. Garfield sighed, "I have a suspicion that Trigon's true identity could be Trenton Roth."

To be continued...

A/N: So I took the suggestion from Chaotic Coffee Bean and made it go the detective route! I think it's a perfect way to make their worlds collide again, and I really like the idea of Garfield as a K9 officer! I'm super unfamiliar with police/law enforcement/detective details, so this took a while because I needed to do some research. There will probably be a lot of inconsistencies with the real-life system, but I'll try my best to make it believable. This is just the sneak peek I promised to hype up the sequel!

I've been really busy recently, and I've been stressing a lot over college and senior things so my updates will be more infrequent. I can't promise a schedule. Things are just really complicated right now, but I promise that the sequel is in the works. You guys really motivate me a lot, and you have no idea how much that helps me write. Also, suggestions really inspire me and they often mean faster/longer updates. Even if I don't use your suggestion, they're helpful for brainstorming the sequence of events in my stories. So, please, if you have any suggestions or a small thing you want me to include, it's a tremendous help! Thank you for accompanying me on this journey. I love you all!

P.S. I'm struggling with a title for the sequel. I would like it to be a one-word title, if you have suggestions, please review!