Chapter 36 – The Value of the First Breath
LAPD Academy – March 23, 2018 – 6:53 AM
The sky was still dark when the first recruits began to gather in the tactical training area of the Academy. The morning air was damp and heavy with the kind of tension that didn't come from physical exhaustion, but from the anticipation of the unknown. The courtyard, reserved for the practical module, was already set up with obstacles, MDF barriers simulating streets, muffled siren sounds coming from the loudspeakers, recorded dog barks, and radio static.
In the corner, standing erect with eyes scanning every detail, was Derek Davis.
Dark blue uniform, functional holster, LAPD cap pulled back. His arms were crossed, and his impassive expression made it clear that no one there would receive a warm "good morning."
John Nolan, Lucy Chen, Jackson West, and the other recruits slowly lined up in formation. Some tried to hide their nervousness. Others masked it with smiles. Nolan, with his life experience, kept a neutral face, but was attentive—he already knew men like Derek, and he knew that this type of instructor didn't waste time.
6:58 AM. Derek took two steps forward.
— "When I speak, you listen. When I stop, you think. When I act, you observe."
Silence.
— "Today, we're going to talk about the first breath."
Eyes met. Lucy frowned.
— "First breath?" — she murmured to Jackson.
Derek continued, without changing his tone.
— "Every officer experiences a moment that defines whether they will continue wearing this uniform... or whether they will be buried in it. That moment doesn't come with a warning. It doesn't come with a siren. It walks through the door with you, in the middle of a common incident, and explodes without asking permission." He pointed to one of the structures to the side: a simulation of a convenience store, made of plywood and with makeshift furniture.
— "Inside there, you will face a simulation. And the only thing you'll have is your breath."
An academy instructor, positioned near the set, confirmed the functioning of the loudspeakers and internal cameras. The environment would be filmed for later evaluation.
Derek continued:
— "You will enter in pairs. You will receive a call: 'robbery in progress, armed suspect, people on the scene'. The rest... you'll find out inside."
Jackson raised his hand respectfully.
— "Will we have our full equipment?"
— "Only what you use on the street. Holster with simulation weapon, radio, flashlight. No reinforcement. No backup. Like real life."
Derek walked slowly in front of the line.
— "The objective? To survive. To protect. But, above all... to understand how you react before the first shot."
He stopped in front of Nolan.
— "Recruit Nolan. You will be the first."
Nolan nodded without hesitation. Lucy looked at him tensely. Jackson swallowed hard.
— "You choose your partner."
Nolan looked around. And then answered:
— "Chen."
Lucy took two steps forward.
Derek observed them for a second. Then he pointed to the entrance of the structure.
— "On my signal, you enter. Radio communication is allowed. You have three minutes."
They positioned themselves. Nolan adjusted his vest and checked the simulation pistol. Lucy took a deep breath. The sound of an ambient recording began to play: the noise of refrigerators, background pop music, footsteps.
And then: "Go."
Inside the simulation – 7:05 AM
The convenience store was dark on the sides. A display window with mannequins in the background. A man in a jacket pretended to be a civilian hiding behind the counter. Another man the "suspect" was holding a replica gun pointed at a kneeling "victim."
Nolan and Lucy moved into formation. He in front, she to the left.
— "LAPD! Drop the weapon!" Nolan ordered firmly.
The suspect shouted nervously. The victim was crying.
Lucy, positioned, shouted:
— "Drop the gun now or we'll shoot!"
The suspect moved quickly, spinning behind the victim.
Mistake.
Lucy drew her weapon and hesitated for two seconds.
Nolan took a step back.
The suspect made a shooting motion with the replica.
End of simulation.
Short siren blast.
Derek entered immediately.
— "Stop."
Silence.
Lucy and Nolan exchanged glances, sweat visible even in the cool air of the location.
7:15 AM – Return Yard
Derek positioned himself in front of the recruits again. Nolan and Lucy were back in formation.
— "Who thinks they failed?"
Two recruits reluctantly raised their hands.
— "They didn't shoot."
Derek nodded.
— "Right. But we're not measuring who shoots. We're measuring who decides."
He approached Lucy.
— "You hesitated. Why?"
Lucy, still catching her breath, replied:
— "I was afraid of hitting the hostage. The movement was too fast."
— "Exactly," Derek confirmed. — "And that fear didn't paralyze you. It made you choose. That's the first breath. The second before the chaos. The moment your body wants to react... but your mind needs to decide."
He walked over to Nolan.
— "You stepped back... Why?"
— "To get lateral cover. If he shot, I would have an angle without putting Lucy in the line of fire."
Derek nodded.
— "You didn't fire. But you maintained control. You would survive. And maybe... the victim too."
The recruits were now more attentive. It was clear that the lesson wasn't about "being quick on the trigger." It was about being rational in chaos.
— "Everyone will go through this today. And every mistake, every success, will teach more than ten hours of theory."
Jackson was called next. Then Lucy again, in a different formation. Then different pairs, each facing new scenarios—one with a child running, another with a civilian making ambiguous gestures, one with deafening noise on purpose.
At the end of each round, Derek asked questions. He never openly criticized. But he demanded that each recruit understand their own process.
10:57 AM – Debriefing room
Derek stood in front of a screen, where he displayed the simulation footage. He showed how the recruits' eyes moved, how their bodies reacted, where fear arose.
— "None of you here will leave ready for war. Because that... the street teaches you. But I can show you how to listen to that second when your mind screams and the world waits."
He paused the recording of Lucy with her weapon half-raised.
— "It's here. The first breath."
He looked at everyone, his eyes fixed.
— "If you control that... you control everything."
Silence.
And then, spontaneous applause. It started with Nolan. Then Lucy. Jackson. In a few seconds, everyone was clapping—not as flattery, but as recognition.
Derek raised his hand. The applause ceased.
— "Thank you. But I don't need applause. I need you to come out alive. Each and every one of you. And that you don't have to live with unnecessary weight."
He pointed to the door.
— "The street doesn't give warnings. But now... you will be less unprepared." Later – Nolan's message to Lucy:
"I never thought a class would make me reconsider what I thought I already knew about control."
Lucy's reply:
"He doesn't talk much. But when he does... you take it to heart."
Chapter 37 – The Pride That Goes Unspoken
March 24, 2018 – 8:17 AM
Mid-Wilshire Police Station – Briefing Room
The Mid-Wilshire briefing room still smelled of fresh coffee and printer paper when Captain Zoe Anderson entered. Upright posture, hair pulled back, and her operations tablet under her arm. She crossed the room with firm steps and placed the tablet on the table before looking up at the officers present.
Sergeant Wade Grey, as always, was already beside the main table, arms crossed, observing the young officers with that expression of someone who reads people like open books.
Tim Bradford leaned against the wall, still drinking his second coffee of the day, while Talia Bishop organized reports and Angela Lopez watched the activity through the window, her gaze lost for a moment—until Derek entered.
He came straight from the academy. His uniform still impeccable, the LAPD cap under his arm, an even more focused posture than usual. There was nothing ostentatious about his entrance. No drama. But the silence that settled for a brief second said it all: he was different now.
Zoe observed him for two seconds before speaking:
— "Davis. Do you need time to reorganize or are you ready for the street?"
— "Ready, Captain."
She nodded and pulled up a chair.
— "Before we begin today's briefing... just one observation."
The group quieted down. Angela turned, attentive.
Zoe looked up from her tablet.
— "Yesterday, I received two direct emails from the Academy coordination. And five messages from instructor officers who observed the simulations conducted by Officer Davis. They all used words like 'consistency', 'effectiveness', 'leadership', and, above all, 'positive emotional impact on the recruits'."
Derek didn't react. But something in his gaze softened. Zoe continued:
— "According to Director Burnett, Davis brought an approach based on emotional control under stress that didn't yet exist in the academy's curriculum."
Grey cleared his throat.
— "He survived the war, he survived the patrol... now he's teaching how to do both."
Bradford chuckled out of the corner of his mouth.
— "I should have recorded it. I bet he made a recruit cry."
Talia raised her hand with a discreet laugh:
— "I saw the videos. One recruit almost fainted when he explained what 'first breath' was. It seemed like a tactical philosophy class."
Angela crossed her arms, smiling slightly, her eyes fixed on Derek.
— "He doesn't need to yell. His silence teaches more than many speeches."
Zoe looked at her for a second. Then at Derek.
— "Do you think you can continue this, Davis? Balancing patrol and academy?"
— "Yes, ma'am. As long as it doesn't interfere with street duty, I can do both."
Zoe nodded.
— "Good. Because now the sector commander wants you in two more modules: rapid response simulations in areas with civilian presence and classes on ethics in the use of force decisions."
Grey added:
— "You know what that means, right? They see you as a trainer. Not just a police officer."
— "If I can prevent one of these recruits from making the wrong decision at the wrong time... it's worth it."
Angela spoke, now in a softer tone:
— "You're creating the kind of police officer we'd like to patrol with."
There was a brief silence. Bradford looked at Derek with a more serious look now.
— "When I met you, I thought you were just another tactical veteran who wanted a calmer job. But you... you're the kind of operator who transforms the environment. That's not common."
Talia added:
— "You don't command. You guide."
Derek only nodded. He thanked them with his eyes, with his breath. Because words, for him, only came when they were needed.
Zoe slammed her hand on the table, returning to a practical tone.
— "Very well. Congratulations, Davis. Now let's get down to business. Daily patrols, updated maps, and yes—you all still need to complete the report on last night's operation."
Discreet laughter filled the room.
10:02 AM – Patrol Car 7-Adam-15
Angela was driving that morning. Derek was beside her, fiddling with his tablet. The sun was beating down on the windshield, and the city was beginning to heat up in its chaotic routine.
She glanced at him.
— "You know how important what you're doing is, right?"
— "I'm trying."
— "You're not trying. You're changing the way people learn to protect lives."
He turned his face to her, his eyes serene.
— "If I can make one of them think before pulling the trigger... I've already done more than I managed to do in the war."
She smiled, her face softening.
— "I saw the videos. I saw how you talk. I saw how they listen. How they breathe slower when you're there."
He turned completely to her.
— "And you?"
— "What?"
— "What do you breathe when I'm there?"
Angela bit her lip, suppressing a smile.
— "I breathe with pride. And a little jealousy too, I admit."
— "Jealousy?"
— "Yes. Because I saw you first. And now a bunch of recruits are going to go around saying they want to be like Davis."
He gave a brief laugh.
— "You really see me. They see the image."
Angela lightly touched his knee.
— "I see the man. And that's why you're good at this."
12:19 PM – Police Station Courtyard
At the end of the morning shift, the group gathered to have lunch on one of the outdoor benches. Zoe, Grey, Bradford, Talia, Angela, and Derek. The conversation ranged from nonsense to patrol stories.
Zoe, casually, commented to Grey:
— "Davis seems to have found his place. On the street, he solves problems. In the office, he builds."
Grey nodded.
— "And all this... without shouting. It's the kind of leadership that can't be taught. You learn it by observing."
Bradford, with a smile, added:
— "Well... now we have an officer who's a secret weapon, a Jedi master, and a tactical therapist. Can we put that on his file?"
Angela gave him a firm, playful look.
— "Only if it's restricted. This material is confidential."
Everyone laughed.
Derek just smiled, discreetly, sipping his coffee from the black mug.
In that courtyard, among colleagues, sun and concrete, he knew: he was exactly where he needed to be.
And they knew it too.
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