Springfield, Arizona is a quiet town located along state route 79 between the greater Phoenix area and Tucson to the south. Boasting a population of 45,000 inhabitants primarily employed in the Copper Mines east of the city. A copper refinery occupied a large stretch of desert between the city of the mines. The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad ran spurs into the refinery and the mines themselves. The copper mines generated a decent economy for the city. Even in the roughest of times, the city appears to be prosperous.<br/><br/>An electric storm had rolled into the region in the early morning hours. Sporadic downpours of rain drenched the dry soil throughout the early morning hours. By the time Officer Hawkins got off duty, the rain had stopped leaving the pavement damp. An overcast skies kept the cool air down leaving the air unseasonably mild. But it was hot enough for the roads to be covered in a foggy mist from the damp pavement. Lightning crackled in the distance. The dark clouds hung low in the sky in the direction of Tucson. Sheets of rain could be seen at fifteen miles distance pelting the southern Arizona city.<br/><br/>Patrolman Derek Hawkins worked the overnight shift getting off at 7AM. The 28-year old Springfield Police Officer strode into the Mini Mart on route 79 to get a cup of coffee and a gallon of milk. His wife, Charlotte called him on his Android mobile device and asked him to pick up the milk on the way home. She wasn't really his wife, but they had been living together for the past year and planned to get married in the Spring.<br/><br/>Derek waved past the young woman at the register with a warm smile. Never hurt to be friendly. He remembered her from High School when he was a Linebacker for the Springfield Hornets. It was common to see people wearing the Green and Gold T-shirts in support of their hometown Hornets. Like the<span style="font-style: italic">spirit wear</span>shirt she was wearing.<span style="font-style: italic">'I'd do her,'</span>Derek thought to himself as he headed to the dairy cooler.<br/><br/>He wondered if he'd seen the young woman when he attended Springfield Community College where he studied to get an Associate's Degree in Criminal Justice. He recalled seeing her at the mini-mart after he got out of the Army. Derek served his country as a Military Police Officer in Iraq after High School. He missed out on the<span style="font-style: italic">fun</span>, according to him. He was always curious about getting into a firefight, but that dark desire never presented itself to the 6' muscular young man who worked hard to maintain a lean physique.<br/><br/>Derek worked out regularly at the<span style="font-style: italic">Total Fitness</span>health center on Broadway. He pumped iron six days a week and went for runs in his neighborhood at least every other day. Staying in shape was important to him. He didn't want to end up a giant over sized 'fatty' like his old man. That asshole died when he was 57 from heart disease. Good riddance, the bastard beat Derek to within an inch of his life when he was a kid. It seemed to be a regular event. The bastard would come home drunk, drinking more at the house and then find some lame excuse to give Derek a beating. It seemed to be normal to Derek. But he wasn't in a hurry to have kids out of fear he would do the same to his own child one day. There was no love lost when George died three years ago. Naturally, he attended the funeral. Derek's mom, Shirley was the best mother a boy could have. She protected him on the really dark days. No one could replace her.<br/><br/>Springfield boasted a 60-man police force, to which Derek Hawkins wore badge number 51. This meant he was junior to 50 other officers and senior to only a handful of rookies. This was his third year on the department. Derek liked his badge number because this was his number when he played football.<br/><br/>Derek glanced at the headlines of the Springfield Transcript on the way out the door. The headlines showed an attack on the American embassy in Rome, Italy and a story about the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) being present in the United States of America. The FBI warns all veterans, both active and retired to be vigilant for possible attacks on their family's lives. Derek was of the mindset, "Bring it!"