Shape of You

Shape of You is the second episode of the series, Ryder.

Plot
The episode starts in the city, with its towering buildings and apartments. Its noisy streets and chatting citizens walking by, attending to their own business. The sky is a greyish blue with very little clouds out and the sun high up, indicating its sometime during the afternoon. One particular apartment complex is then seen, it's not exactly run down but it does give off an impression that it might be just off of its substandard appearance. Despite that, it does look somewhat welcoming.

Inside, Ryder can be seen standing in the doorway of his office with Kelly looking inside.

Ryder: Jessica Kelly, welcome to Ryder Investigations.

Kelly: Whoa. This is your office?

Ryder: Yeah, I just managed to clean it up this morning.

Kelly: This place is amazing…

Ryder, looking around: Yeah… I guess it kinda is.

Kelly then goes over to look at some more of the furniture. Having a closer look at it, some of it now appears somewhat archaic; as if it had been passed on from a couple of generations. Ryder makes his way over to his desk, centered in the back of the office.

Kelly, turning back to Ryder: So, what’s this investigation stuff like?

Ryder: I don’t think it’s too different from what you do as a cop. Just looking into stuff that seems a little… odd. Sometimes it’s just finding things, other times it’s all about doing the right thing by the right people.

Kelly holds her gaze with Ryder with an understanding expression.

Kelly: Yeah, I think I get what you mean.

She then changes her tone to a lighter one, as well as the topic.

Kelly: So- I’ll definitely try helping where I can but where exactly do we start with this whole thing?

Ryder then looks down at his desk. Kelly follows his gaze to the desk surface. Ryder then holds up the case envelope, from the desk, into view, as the two of them look at it.

Ryder: With the first case.

‘’Title Sequence’’

The scene then transitions to Ryder and Raggy in the middle of the floor, as they look at each other and smile.

Raggy: Ready to get your ass kicked? :

Ryder: You really don’t know what I’m capable of.

Raggy: Show me.

Ryder: With pleasure.

The two begin fighting each other with escrima sticks. Raggy strikes Ryder in his chest with it, as Ryder stumbles back.

Raggy: Oh wow.

Ryder: Lets see if you can dodge this.

Ryder swipes at Raggy, as he blocks it with his other stick. The fight gets intense as both of them continue to hit each other faster, and faster.

Raggy strikes at Ryder, who narrowly dodges the attack. Raggy hits Ryder’s hand with the stick, as Ryder winces in pain.

Ryder: Dammit Raggy! Raggy laughs.

Ryder: We haven’t done this in a while.

Raggy: You mean, you haven’t done this in a while.

Ryder: Same thing, right? It’s not like you’re out there chasing bad guys without me.

Raggy: No, but I do often chase leads. Besides, it never hurts to get exercise every once in a while.

Ryder: Yeah, well, that’s easy for you to say.

Raggy goes into his refrigerator and takes out two bottles of water.

Raggy: Heads up.

He tosses the water bottle to Ryder, as he catches it.

Ryder: Thanks.

Raggy: Don’t mention it.

Ryder opens his bottle of water, and takes a long sip. He then puts down the bottle, and puts it on the table.

Ryder: That was refreshing.

Raggy: Well, that’s what water does.

Ryder: Guess I’ve been down the wrong bottle.

Raggy: So, how is it going with going back to business? I hope you’re getting yourself together, man.

Ryder: Yeah, yeah. Kelly’s been helping me get settled again.

Raggy: I’d hate to say I told you so but…

Ryder: Like hell you wouldn’t. (chuckles) But yeah, it’s good being back. Helping people with these cases- that’s the right thing to do, I guess. At least, I have something to do now.

Raggy: Yeah. So, up for another round?

Ryder: Thanks but I don’t feel like getting my ass kicked for a third time today. I’ll catch you later, alright?

Raggy: Yeah, sure thing, man.

Ryder begins to walk to the door. He then opens it and turns around, nodding to Raggy. The scene transitions to a jewelry store in a less active part of the city.

Inside the store, someone sweeping the floors and the cashier putting away money in the cash register. One of the employees looks up from his sweeping and walks on over by the counter.

Jewelry Store Employee, to cashier: Hey, I’m going on break. Mind filling in for me?

Cashier: (sigh) Yeah, sure. I guess, whatever.

Jewelry Store Employee: Thanks.

He then takes his apron off and leaves it on the counter before heading into the back room. Some time later, a man enters the store. He’s a short man, wearing light colored blazer and a panama hat. He has dark brown hair, brown eyes and also has freckles on his skin.

Cashier: Boss, everything alright?

Jewelry Store Boss, turns to face the cashier: Perfectly fine. Just came to close up early, do you mind taking the rest of the night off?

Cashier: Closing early?

Jewelry Store Boss: Is that a problem?

Cashier: No way. I’ll see you tomorrow.

Jewelry Store Boss: Of course you will.

The cashier takes off her apron and tosses it onto the counter. She then comes out from behind the counter and approaches the door. The boss watches her with careful eyes as she leaves the establishment. The boss then turns back with a sinister grin appearing on his face. He then makes his way over to a rack of jewelry. He then bashes the glass with a crowbar and uses the very same crowbar to rake the jewelry into a sack.

Jewelry Store Boss: Way too easy. (chuckles)

The scene then cuts to Ryder’s apartment once again, now in the day time.

Inside, Ryder can be seen leaning on the edge of his desk, examining the case files that were inside the envelope. Just then, there’s a knock at the door.

Ryder, reading the files: It’s open!

The door then swings open with Kelly entering the office.

Kelly: Hey, you’re still working on that?

Ryder: Cases aren’t just solved overnight. This ain’t a tv show, Kelly.

Kelly: Sounds something the detective at the NYPD would say. Speaking of which, I just got a call from the precinct. Apparently, someone just knocked up the jewelry store.

Ryder: So?

Kelly: So, you wanna come along? Maybe it’ll help with the case.

Ryder: Eh, I don’t really work well with cops.

Kelly: Gee, and here I thought that was only something that happens on tv shows.

Ryder continues reading the case files. Kelly then looks at him, more genuinely.

Kelly: Look, if it’s all the same with you, I kinda just miss having someone there in the passenger seat, y’know?

Ryder looks up the files and looks at her. He then looks away then sighs.

Ryder: Alright, alright. I’ll get my coat.

Kelly smiles as Ryder passes by her, putting his leather jacket over his grey shirt.

The scene then cuts to the jewelry store with a couple of cruisers parked outside.

Officers already on the scene are checking the area and asking questions with the people there. A police cruiser then pulls up on the scene; its doors open soon after. Kelly and Ryder then exit the cruiser. Kelly approaches the police tape where an officer turns his head and puts his hand out.

Officer: Sorry ma’am, this is an active crime scene.

Kelly flips him her badge which he shortly recognizes.

Officer: Sorry about that. Lots of folks coming around here. I guess they’re fans of the jewelry or something, huh?

Kelly: Right now I’m just concerned about the fan that actually got away with it. Mind filling me in?

Officer: Sorry, right- I probably should’ve done that- been doing that. Sorry. Uh- well the shop owner, Pedro Avery, reported the burglary when he checked in this morning. But when we checked the tapes, it turned out the guy who stole the jewelry-

Kelly leans in with anticipation.

Officer: -was the shop owner.

He turns his head to see the jewelry owner sitting on the curb.

Officer: I’m not really sure what we’re going to do with him. I mean, if he’s robbing himself, as long as he doesn’t press charges, he should be fine. Maybe checked into a psych ward but aside from that, this investigation might not be open for much longer.

Ryder: What’d you get out of him?

Officer, caught off guard: Wh- Who are you?

Kelly: He’s with me.

Officer: Oh! Sorry! Again, like I said- tons of… people coming around here. You are aware that I can’t disclose any ongoing information to non-officers, right?

Kelly: Then disclose it to me.

Officer: Well uh- we didn’t get much out of him. He keeps saying he didn’t do it but you know, the tapes don’t lie, right?

Kelly: I guess not…

Officer: Sorry, I just- gotta ask. You’re Officer Kelly, right? I knew your partner. He didn’t really like me much but uh- I’m sorry to hear what happened to him. Despite everything, he still was a brother in blue. But I guess, like, a jerky older brother. Sorry, I’m taking the metaphor a bit too far there.

Kelly: Hey, what’s your name?

Officer: Uh- Officer Deacon, why?

Kelly: You say sorry a lot, Deacon.

Officer Deacon: Sor- uh-

Kelly gives him a look.

Officer Deacon: ...Copy that.

Kelly then walks past the officer and then walks up to the jewelry store owner, as he is sitting on the curb. He looks up at her, and then back down to the ground.

Kelly: Mr. Avery? My name is Officer Kelly. This is my friend and work-associate, Ryder.

Avery looks up slightly to get a look at Ryder as he walks over as well. He then lowers his head again as he speaks.

Pedro Avery: I know what you’re going to say. But I’m telling you- I did not steal that jewelry.

Kelly: Mr. Avery, the only person on the scene was you.

Pedro Avery: I know, it’s crazy. But I assure you, it wasn’t me. Look, I have security tapes! There-there must be something you can find on them.

Kelly lets out a soft sigh then looks over at him.

Kelly: Okay, Mr. Avery. Let’s have another look at those tapes.

The scene then cuts over to a room with a couple of computer monitors and old-looking surveillance equipment. Ryder and Kelly walk into the room as they look around in awe.

Kelly: It’s a nice set up you have here, Mr. Avery.

Ryder: I’m just surprised it’s still functional.

Kelly gives Ryder a look, as he shrugs it off. Avery sits himself at the computer and pulls up the surveillance footage of the night of the robbery. Like the officer had described, the footage shows the show owner entering the store and talking to the cashier then, after a few looks and stares from Kelly and Ryder, the footage shows Avery robbing the place with a sack and a crow bar.

Kelly: Like I said, Mr. Avery, the footage does not seem to support any of your claims.

Pedro Avery: I’m telling you, Officer. You have to believe me.

Ryder looks carefully at the footage then at Avery. He moves his right hand slowly as he moves the computer house slightly, while talking to Kelly.

Ryder: It’s alright. We do.

Kelly, quietly to Ryder: We do?

Ryder, whispering back: Look at his hand.

Kelly turns and looks back at Avery, now focusing on his hand.

Ryder, quietly: Now the one in the footage.

Kelly looks up at the surveillance footage and sees Avery holding the crowbar in his left hand.

Kelly: What- I don’t get it.

Ryder: Seriously?

Kelly shrugs.

Ryder: (sighs) Avery is right-handed. If that really is him in the footage then the amount of strength and focus needed to swing a crowbar with his left-hand would be practically unachievable especially for a man his age. (quickly turns to Avery) No offense.

Kelly: So what are you trying to say?

Ryder: That that- (points to Avery in the footage) -isn’t Pedro Avery. At least, not the one here.

Kelly: Impressive.

Ryder: Eh, I try.

Ryder turns to Avery, who remains in his seat.

Ryder: Have you seen any strange things, lately?

Pedro Avery: Aside from this? No, not really… Well, uh- there was this trainee.

Kelly, interested: Trainee?

Pedro Avery: Yes, he just signed on not too long ago. He was always interested in how I ran the store. I just thought he wanted to shadow me, become someone like me- a successful shop owner. I wouldn’t think he actually would.

Ryder: Could be a disguise put together, I’ve had my share of that from time to time. (turning to Avery again) Do you have the name of this trainee? Any way of reaching him?

Pedro Avery: Yes. His name is Lee Maxill but he didn’t seem to have any personal information for him. Again, I just thought he needed some help finding out who he was in the world.

Kelly: It’s kind of you to want to help someone like that.

Pedro Avery: Thank you.

Kelly: No problem, we’ll find him… I promise.

The scene continues outside of the jewelry store, with Ryder and Kelly leaving the scene; the scene that is being packed up by a couple of officers that remained behind.

Ryder: Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Kelly.

Kelly: I thought you said you were familiar with this whole disguise thing. Together, we’ll be able to catch this guy and bring him in.

Ryder: Or he could be a red herring. Even if he is the guy and he is using disguises, if he’s good enough to impressionate the shop owner, he’s good enough to disguise himself as someone you’re not expecting to find. We need to find this Maxill guy and get more answers.

Kelly: Sure, I’ll run his name through the database back at the prescient.

Ryder: Or, I could call my contact. Get some information from other databases.

Kelly: How can we even be sure if this information is good, let alone admissible? Ryder: I know, okay? I’ve done this thing before, Kelly.

Kelly: You said you needed my help to get back into the investigation business, Ryder. This is me helping.

Ryder gives her an odd look.

Kelly: What? What is it?

Ryder: You know the case file I’ve been reading over?

Kelly: Yeah, what about it?

Ryder: It’s the same guy in the footage. Same M.O. He infiltrates a business then somehow gets someone else arrested or accused for the crimes he commits. All of them claiming someone else did it. Some guy in jail pleaded to get his case heard and now his case winded up on my desk.

Kelly: How long has he been in jail for?

Ryder: Not the point, Kelly. Point is, I need more information about the case and I got the case from my informant, who just so happens to probably have information about our trainee suspect. Besides, if he didn’t leave any personal information at the shop, what makes you think you’ll find out anything on a police database.

Kelly sighs in frustration.

Kelly: Alright, I just wanted to make sure this kind of stuff is solid, Ryder.

Ryder: It is. Trust me.

Kelly: Fine. I’ll consult the city and ask for any surveillance footage from any other cameras in the area, maybe even traffic lights if I have to.

Ryder: Alright, I’ll let you know if anything comes up.

Kelly: Same here.

Kelly approaches her cruiser while Ryder watches her leave. He then flips out his phone and punches in a number. A dial tone is heard for a brief moment before it cuts off to the sound of a voice soon afterwards.

Raggy, over the phone: Man, I forgot how early you used to call me over these cases.

Ryder: Save it. I need some info on a guy named Lee Maxill. Anything you can find, guy tends to go incognito.

Raggy: Alright hang on.

The scene cuts over to Raggy’s hideout where he can be seen searching through a database on one of many computers.

Raggy (to himself): Who are you?

Raggy types in the name Lee Maxill, which multiple articles about Lee pop up on his multi-monitor screen. He clicks on the first article, which has the date of October 1st from four years ago. Lee is shown to look like a teenager standing for a picture with his mother, brother and little sister. Raggy scrolls down so more to look for more information.

Raggy: Yo, I think I found something about your guy.

Ryder, over the phone: What did you find out about him?

Raggy: He looked liked, your typical teenage kid. Filled with hopes and dreams.

Ryder, over the phone: Go on.

Raggy: Then things seemed to get out of hand. His mother had gotten sick and the rest of family went missing. I’m guessing he tried to afford for better care for her because he went into robberies and several different kinds of thefts. Then, for a few months, Lee went missing too.

Ryder, over the phone: Wow, that’s deep. Do you know where he’s been since then?

Raggy: Nope, just a bunch of false identities. (gathering an idea) Hang on-

Raggy types on the keyboard.

Ryder, over the phone: What?

Raggy: The payments that go out to his mother’s medical care. It must be under an account, there’s no way a hospital would take that much money up front in cash. If I can just trace the account’s payment history…

A list of payments then appear on one of the many screens.

Raggy: Gotcha. Looks like he frequents at a restaurant around three in the afternoon. You should be able to catch him there just in time for lunch.

Ryder, over the phone: That’s good work. Thanks man, I’ll do the rest.

Raggy: Sure thing.

The scene cuts back to Ryder, walking through an alleyway.

Raggy, over the phone: Although you won’t be getting anything done without the name of the restaurant.

Ryder: Alright, shoot.

Raggy, over the phone: It’s called the Big City Barbeque.

Ryder stops in his tracks, his breath cuts off.

Ryder: Ah shit damn. :

Raggy, over the phone: Something wrong?

Ryder: No. It’s- (groans) It’s fine. I’ll call you later, alright?

Raggy, over the phone: Sure thing, man.

Ryder hangs up the phone and holds it tightly in his hand. He taps it against his forehead with some repressed aggression before punching in another number on his phone.

Kelly, over the phone: Hello?

Ryder: It’s me. Look, I might have a possible location for this Maxill guy. You wanna meet me there around three?

Kelly, over the phone: Alright, text me the address and I’ll meet you there.

Ryder: Hey, did you find anything on the traffic cameras? Any sign of “Avery” taking off his mask out in the street or anything?

Kelly, over the phone: No, nothing. I searched around the area through the footage and no sign of him. It’s like he just vanished. So either he can take a disguise off fast or he’s really good at avoiding cameras.

Ryder, over the phone: According to my informant, he’s been doing this for a while now to take care of his sick mother.

Kelly, over the phone: Wow, that’s pretty rough.

Ryder, over the phone: Yeah but we gotta keep our focus on Maxill. I’ll stake the place out for a few, I’ll see you then, alright?

Kelly, over the phone: Sure.

Ryder then hangs up the phone and stashes it back into his pocket, before turning and walking off again through the alleyway. As he passes by the view, his figure shrouds it in darkness until another, different figure is seen walking past the view on the other side then past the restaurant that the scene had transitioned to. The sky seems a lot more lighter than earlier, with the sun risen high but slightly forwards the right.

Inside the restaurant, Ryder is seen seated at a table, watching the counter where his previous fellow employees are seen working with his aggressive boss picking on them as usual. There are a few people seated at the counter; a skinny kid with a red baseball cap, an elderly woman and a muscular man with a plaid shirt. Ryder looks around, uncomfortably, then checks his phone. The focus is on the time momentarily then shifts to the whole screen which shows a photo of Maxill from Raggy’s database.

Ryder, to himself, looking around again: Come on, Jess…

As Ryder scans the area again, he notices Lee suddenly now at the counter, in the spot where the old lady was previously sitting.

Ryder, to himself: Got you…

Ryder then gets up from the table he was seated at and begins to carefully approach Maxill, who waits by the counter. Just as Ryder is getting closer to Maxill, the sound of a car pulling up is heard, catching both of their attentions. Ryder turns his head and sees a police cruiser pulling up into a parking space, in front of a large window. He turns his head back and sees Maxill, now starting to lose his edge and walk away from the counter.

Ryder, to himself: No, no, no…

Ryder remains where he is as Maxill paces past a line of people. He then turns his head and makes Ryder watching him carefully. Lee then picks up the pace and bolts out of the restaurant.

Ryder, under his breath: Shit! (out loud) Maxill!

He then takes up chase and follows him out of the restaurant. In the parking lot, Kelly steps out of her cruiser to approach the restaurant but is shoved aside by Maxill who is running past them.

Kelly: Hey! (seeing who it is) Police, stop!

Kelly starts to chase after him, only to bump into Ryder who is also chasing after him. The two then stop and look at each other.

Ryder: Jess, seriously?

Kelly: What?

Ryder: Nothing, just- I’m going after him.

Ryder continues running after him. Kelly tries to get a word out but he’s already on his way.

Kelly sighs

As Ryder continues to run, Maxill morphs into a person in the crowd fading away as a bunch of people. Ryder then stops, looking surprised, as he looks around through the crowd of people for any sign of Maxill.

Ryder: You have got to be kidding me.

Kelly then makes her way over after rushing there in a hurry.

Kelly: What happened? Where- where is he?

Ryder: He got away.

Kelly: What? How could he get away?

Ryder: Because he’s not who we thought he was. Lee Maxill doesn’t just disguise himself as other people to pin his crimes on them, he is the disguise. The kid’s a Mutant, Kelly.

Kelly: Whoa. We need to call in the MCA for this.

Ryder: Like hell we are. Even some of your backwards officers wouldn’t even do that.

Kelly: Excuse me?! You might be able to do whatever you want whenever people pay you but some us have a protocol to follow.

Ryder: (scoffs) Protocol? Sorry but does your protocol involve driving your police car in front of a big ass window right where a suspected criminal is supposed to be?!

Kelly: Okay so he ran off but I’m the police officer here. I’m the one who is supposed to go after him, not you. And now he got away! You wanna be charged with obstruction of justice or what?

Ryder: Are you threatening me?

Kelly: ...No. No, I’m just- ugh! You know what, I’ll find him on my own. Maybe I can’t help you out after all.

Kelly then walks back, leaving Ryder standing there amongst the passing by strangers.

Ryder, softly, to himself: I’m sorry…

The scene then cuts over to Kelly as she walks in a jewelry store.

Inside, she looks around before spotting one of the workers, who has dirty blonde hair and wearing a bright red t-shirt. Kelly decides to get closer to him as the man still has his head down listening to music through his headphones. He looks up, and sees Kelly looking around the store. The man turns off the music and takes out his earplugs. He smiles at Kelly and walks closely to the counter.

Man: Hi, miss. Do you need any help with finding what you need here? We’ve got rings, diamonds, and so much more!

Kelly: Hi, my name is Officer Kelly. I’m with the NYPD.

Man: Oh, a police officer. Anything I can help with you today?

Kelly: I’m here to talk to you about a cold case, you might recall a burglary that occured at your store a couple months back.

Man: Yeah, and I know who did it too. Of course, that’s not what the files would say.

Kelly: No. They claim that the owner of the store robbed his own store. That would be you, correct?

Jewelry Store Owner: That is correct indeed, officer.

Kelly: I was just wondering if you might recall any information about that night. Anything about your former employees that could help us with our current investigation.

Jewelry Store Owner: I don’t know what else to tell you that I haven’t already told the boys in blue, or girls in this case, heh. I hired this kid off the street, he said he needed a job here so I brought him in. I show him around, all the tricks and trades and next thing I know, the place ends up robbed, witnesses say it was me and the kid doesn’t show up to work the next day.

Kelly: Do you have a name for this kid?

Jewelry Store Owner: Yeah, Lee Maxill. Why you think he’s the one behind all these other robberies I’ve been hearing about?

Kelly: We’re just running any leads we find.

Kelly looks at her phone, and sighs she then looks back at the man. Clearly, she looks as if something is bothering her and needs to talk about it with someone.

Jewelry Store Owner: Are you ok? You kinda zoned out on me there, haha.

Kelly: Hi, yeah… I’m sorry it’s just- a guy I had an argument with is one of my old friends and now I’m all worked up about it, I guess.

Jewelry Store Owner: Boyfriend troubles, eh?

Kelly, blushing: What?! No! Well, I mean he's just a friend.

Jewelry Store Owner: Anything I can do to help? I’m a great listener.

Kelly: No, you shouldn’t worry about it. I’m just- uh- I want to help out, you know. Try to do the right thing but when I do, it doesn’t always work out. I thought my experience as a police officer would make it better to help people but how can I do that when they don’t allow me to follow the same protocols at work.

Jewelry Store Owner: Look, I’m not a cop, far from it, but sometimes you gotta work with someone in order to help someone, y’know?

Kelly: I guess… Jewelry Store Owner: Eh, you’re young and pretty too. It seems like you’ve got a lot of hopes and dreams but you gotta realize out here, in the real world, people gotta deal with problems their own way. All I’m saying is, maybe it’s better to see things from their perspective first, eh?

Kelly: Yeah, that makes sense. Thank you.

Jewelry Store Owner: Anytime. Anyways, anything else you wanted to ask me?

Kelly: N-No, that should be it for now. Thank you for your support.

Jewelry Store Owner: No problemo. Just be sure to catch the kid, eh? But uh- go easy on him.

Kelly: I guess we’ll just have to say, sir. I’ll leave you be.

Jewelry Store Owner: (waves) Come again.

Kelly smiles and turns to leave. As she does, the smile on the owner’s face quickly turns to a grim expression. Once Kelly leaves the store and walks down the sidewalk, the owner turns around and heads to the back of the store through a door. He stands in the doorway for a brief moment before looking down, towards the right. The view lowers and shows the actual jewelry store owner underneath a metal table, wrapped up and gagged with a cloth around his neck. He struggles to move as a morphing sound is heard. Boots then walk into view, stepping in front of the gagged man. The view then raises, now showing Lee Maxill, standing there, smirking. The scene then cuts over to the jewelry store from earlier, where it is now later into the evening; close to night. The store remains as it was before with the exception of any police presence. Ryder finds himself walking towards the area. He looks from across the street at the store, broken pieces of glass can be seen settled on the floor behind the window. The scene then cuts back to Ryder as he begins to walk towards the store. He stops before the store and looks around.

Ryder, frustrated, to himself: Come on… there’s gotta be something around here.

He squats down, examining the ground. He lets out a sigh, obviously disappointed. As he raises his head, his expression turns from discouraged to slightly surprised, as he is seen noticing a sparkle in the short distance. He then gets up and walks over to the sparkle. He gets down on one knee and picks up the object emitting the light, holding it up before his face.

Ryder: Of course.

As the object enters the view, it is shown to be a piece of jewelry.

Ryder: Might’ve dropped from the sack Maxill had been carrying… But it’s not enough to go off on. I’m gonna need something- (looks down, notices something) Something like that…

Ryder reaches down, grabbing a small shred of beige, woven cloth. He rubs his thumb over it, feeling the texture.

Ryder: Hessian fabric… next to a piece of fallen jewelry. Has to be from the guy’s sack. Man, that could have been worded better. (sigh)

Ryder reaches into his pocket, pulling out his phone once again. He punches in a number and awaits through the ringing before a voice is heard.

Raggy, over the phone: What’s up? You find the guy yet?

Ryder: We found him, but Kelly let him get away.

Raggy, over the phone: What? How?

Ryder: He showed up in a police cruiser and scared him off. She says it’s because of protocol but we all know that’s bullshit.

Raggy is then seen seated in his chair, phone in hand. He stares at his monitor but in a thought-provoking manner.

Raggy: Is it?

Ryder, over the phone: The hell are you talking about?

Raggy: Come on, man. She’s not going to be like me, she’s a cop. That’s what you said, right?

Ryder, over the phone: Yeah but-

Raggy: But what, man? This is what you signed up for. You wanted her help so this is what you’re going to get. Protocols and procedures. I bet she’s stiff as a board.

Ryder, over the phone: Nah, she’s cool. Like in a nice way. Nice isn’t something you get a lot of around here… not anymore. You weren’t kidding about things getting stranger, Rags.

Raggy: You mean the case or your new partner?

Ryder, over the phone: Well, the kid we’re chasing is a mutant who can change his form. And my partner doesn’t like it when it whenever I don’t cut in with her nice act and her police crap.

Raggy: Sounds like you don’t like her way of doing things either.

The scene returns to Ryder, still on his knee; phone in one hand with a piece of cloth in the other.

Ryder: Yeah… You remember when we used to solve cases together, Raggy? Just you and me- no complaints, no issues, no nothing. We just did the job, we had a mission and we did it- that’s what we were all about. Why can’t things go back to the way they were, man?

Raggy, over the phone: You really want them to? You’ve got a good thing here. Sure, we were a hell of a team but we still are. Involving Kelly might help make things better. You just don’t know it yet.

Ryder: What do you mean better?

Raggy, over the phone: Well, in case you weren’t paying attention, you did just escape depression.

Ryder: Raggy-

Raggy, over the phone: And the mission, Ryder, that’s what put you there.

Ryder’s nonchalant expression seems to fade at the mention of that. The view settles on him for a moment before scrolling slowly to the left as it transitions into a flashback scene. The dark street soon becomes a dark room where a light shines in through an open doorway. The light originates from a flashlight being held by Ryder. The room, itself, is a mess with tipped over shelves and tables, scattered papers and boarded up windows.

Raggy, from outside: See anything?

Ryder, looking around: Nothing yet.

Ryder drops down slowly and examines the floor for any evidence. Raggy then enters the room, carrying a flashlight of his own.

Raggy: Remind me again why we couldn’t handle something simpler, this seems a little- I don’t know… above what we should we dealing with.

Ryder: A serial killer who sets his sights on blonde haired women hiding out in the city. I don’t know what you mean, Raggy.

Raggy: You know exactly what I mean. You don’t think you get into stuff too much.

Ryder: More like not enough.

Frustrated, he swipes his arm across, whacking away some junk in front of him.

Raggy: You wanna tell me what this is really about?

Ryder: Look, this is the thing- we’re finding evidence on this guy so he can get charged with whatever he’s done wrong. Then once we find him, we end him… I end him. Right after he tells me everything he knows. Any people he might be in contact with, any other people he may have killed. He’ll either spill his guts to me or me and the other guy will spill his guts for him.

Raggy: There are other options, Ryder. We can still catch the bad guy, we can still do the right thing and help these people.

Ryder: What do you think I’m doing here? They’ll get what they need to know who this clown is and then I’ll get what I need from the freak, himself. Now let’s just focus on finding this evidence so we can actually find this guy already. We’ve got a mission to complete.

Ryder continues shuffling through the junk on the floor while Raggy looks at him with a concerned expression. The scene then transitions back to current time, with Ryder looking out into the distance.

Raggy, over the phone: Anyways, just give her a chance. You never know, you and her might just end up being a better team than we ever were.

Ryder: Heh, whatever you say, buddy.

Raggy, over the phone: So, did you actually have a reason to call other than to complain about girls again?

Ryder: I was just wondering if there was a way to trace fabric back to the guy carrying it. Like some scientific way you could muster up in that lab of yours.

Raggy, over the phone: Okay, first of all, this ain’t no lab. It’s an information center of knowledge, power and powerful knowledge. And second, well, no- not unless you could some advanced fabric reading equipment, there’s only one thing you can do.

Ryder sighs.

Ryder: Yeah, I know. It’s just- it’s not an easy thing to do, Rags.

Raggy, over the phone: Just focus on the task at hand, man, and everything should work out fine. I’m always here if something happens.

Ryder: Thanks, man.

Ryder then hangs up the phone and inserts it back into his pocket. He then looks down at the cloth in his hand and takes a breath. He closes his eyes, the breath escaping his mouth becoming more visible.

Ryder, to himself, softly: Come on… Come on… I need you!

His grip on the shred of cloth tightens as his nerves begin to bulge outwards. His back then begins to hunch over as a rage begins to consume him. His teeth are bearing, growing fangs into its tightened bite, as his face stretches outwards into a more canine-like appearance. His long hair grows longer into a full-on mane as his outfit fuses together into a new one fit for his new form. With the transformation completed, the mutated creature that remains stands on its hind legs, letting out a low growl. It turns his head towards the shred of cloth caught within the grasp of his claws. The Mutant sniffs the cloth then looks up prominently afterwards, sniffing the air around him. It then squats down, on all fours, sniffing the ground. Its head rises from the ground as it slowly rises up on two legs again. The creature then launches upwards from the ground and sinks its claws into the side of the jewelry store. It then begins to scale the side of the building until it lands on the roof of the building. It races towards the edge of the building and perches there, looking around into the rest of the city. The look on the creature’s face turns from observant to determined as its blank white eyes squint and its growl returns once again. The scene then cuts to the Ryder’s apartment complex. Lights can be seen through several of the windows of the complex, making the apartment stand out only slightly in the night among the other buildings.

Inside the apartment, Kelly can be seen entering the office. Light enters from the hallway into the dark room.

Kelly: Ryder? You home?

There isn’t a response. Kelly turns on the lights and makes her way to the couch, taking a seat soon afterwards. She lets out a breath and leans her head back.

Kelly, placing her hands on her face: Uh… What am I going to do?

Kelly then sits up, lowering her arms. She looks out in the distance. After a brief moment of doing so, she reaches into her jacket pocket and retrieves her phone. Before she can punch a number in, Ryder appears in the hallway, approaching the office. Kelly turns her head and sees Ryder approaching.

Kelly: Hey, I was just about to call you.

Ryder: What for?

Kelly: I was worried, I mean- you just sorta vanished.

Ryder: Yeah, well, I do that sometimes…

Kelly: Look, I just wanted to apologise for the way I acted earlier.

Ryder: Yeah, me too. It was totally uncalled for.

Kelly: So, we’re all good?

Ryder: Of course.

Ryder opens his arms and goes in to hug Kelly. She accepts the hug but gives off a bewildered expression. When Ryder lets her go, she gives him a look.

Ryder: (chuckles) Wh-What?

Kelly: Nothing- It’s just. I never pictured you as the hugging type, at least not as of late.

Ryder: What can I say? We’re old friends, we’ve been through a disagreement and I just didn’t want to see you all worked up about it.

Kelly: Heh. That’s funny, I said the same thing to this guy I met earlier.

Ryder: ...Really? Which guy was that?

Kelly: A former employer for Maxill. I think I may have figured out how to catch him in the act in case we don’t catch him.

Ryder: Great. Looks like we finally caught this nefarious criminal, partner.

He gives her a big smile as he places his hand on her shoulder.

Kelly: Okay, you’re acting kinda weird. Is it because of what I said before?

Ryder: Not exactly.

Ryder then suckerpunches Kelly, causing her to drop to the floor. She looks up at him surprised.

Kelly, angered: What are you-?!

He looks at her, with a devious smirk on his face.

Kelly, realizing, surprised: You’re not Ryder…

Maxill, as Ryder: No, I am not.

The scene quickly cuts to the streets in front of the complex where the wolf-like creature drops down, sniffing around. It looks up and gives a deep growl. As it begins to stalk forwards, it turns its head and stops where it is. He sees a police cruiser parked close to the entrance. His head lowers as if saddened then quickly turns back to the complex with a short growl. His gaze turns back to the cruiser and his growl diminishes. The creature then holds up its paw, already formed into a fist of some kind. The Mutant’s deep, heavy, huffing breaths begin to slow down and normalize as its claw uncurl, forming an open paw. The calming process then begins to transform the wolf-like Mutant back into Ryder’s Human (or at least, humanoid) form. His eyes then open as soon as the transformation is complete, and sees his open hand. He then turns to the complex, and forms a fist with his Human hand before rushing inside the building. The scene returns to the office where Kelly tries to defend herself against the false Ryder who continues to strike at her while she’s down.

Kelly: No- Stop, please!

Maxill, as Ryder: You think you can stop me? You think I’m just some common thief. My mother’s in the hospital because of people like you! You made me! And now- I’m going to make sure no one remembers you.

Maxill is about to throw down another strike on Kelly when a raging Ryder storms in and tackles him into his wooden desk. Maxill, still posing as Ryder, turns and gets struck across the face by Ryder. Then once more. On the third attempt, Maxill dodges his strike and catches his fists. Their hands lock and their gazes meet. Maxill leans back and kicks his feet forwards, knocking Ryder away as he slides against the floor; crumbling up the crimson carpet on the floor. Maxill charges for Ryder who swipes at his legs, knocking him over as well. As Maxill gets up, Ryder wraps his arm around his neck and holds him in a choke hold while Lee tries to escape.

Ryder, holding Maxill: You’re not getting away this time!

Maxill then leans back and morphs into another person, Kelly.

Maxill, posing as Kelly, choking: Ryder, please!

Ryder gets caught off guard by then and is pushed off by the false Kelly. Maxill then tackles Ryder as he starts to straggle him in Kelly’s form.

Maxill, posing as Kelly, choking Ryder: You think you can stop me? You’re nothing but a pathetic chump! I was just robbing stores but maybe I should start making this a new thing. I like the feeling of your life leaving your body as I strangle you.

Ryder struggles to break free but only sees Kelly hovering over him with her hands around his throat.

Maxill, posing as Kelly, choking Ryder: It’s been too long anyways. Those Mutants appearing in the city after the invasion? That wasn’t just some coincidence. We were being used as their soldiers- their slaves! But now I’m free! Free to rob, free to be whoever want to be and free to kill.

Just then, the false Kelly is tazed from behind, causing Maxill to fall onto the floor, unconscious. Ryder then turns his head weakly and sees Kelly holding her taser in her hands, before letting it out of her hands with a sigh of relief. The two of them lay on the floor of Ryder Investigations tired, pained yet still breathing with Maxill laying in-between them. The scene then fades into later on with some officers taking Maxill into custody; he’s bound by advanced-looking cuffs around his wrists with two officers escorting him to a cruiser. Kelly sits on the steps in front of the complex with a yellow shock blanket around her while Ryder leans against the railing, both of them looking at Maxill being put away. The red and blue lights of the cruiser lights up the front of the complex. Kelly looks away from the blue light fading over her and turns to look up at Ryder.

Kelly: Hey, I uh- just wanted to apologise for earlier. I kinda said it before but it wasn’t exactly you so- yeah. I guess I was upset because what I do, as a cop, it’s my way of helping others and when being a cop didn’t help you- I just felt like there was nothing else I could do. I felt like I failed you as a friend, Ryder, and after being attacked by some hallucination, I didn’t think anything else could terrify me more than that.

Ryder continues looking into the red light flashing over him before turning to look down at Kelly. He lets out a sigh as he turns.

Ryder: You’re- not the really in the wrong here, Jess. I didn’t respect what you do or give you the chance to actually help me do what I do here. I guess I just got a little ahead myself, y’know? Like I was focused on just the case instead of the person working on it with me. I see that now.

Kelly: Good, because I still want to help you with this investigation thing. I think maybe this can be a way of helping out the people of the city too.

Ryder: Yeah… maybe, you’re right.

Ryder turns to look back at the cruiser as the door finally slams shut and the car begins to drive off. The red light fading over Ryder and the rest of the complex on his side now shifts over to a blue for a brief moment as the car passes by along with the lights attached to it.

Ryder: Maybe, you’re right…

Kelly then gets up from the steps and holds her blanket close together.

Kelly: You got another case or something ready?

Ryder: (scoffs) No. Besides, you need to rest. Want me to take you home?

Kelly: You mind if I stay here tonight? I need to see the real you before I can even think about sleeping.

Ryder: I don’t know if that’s a good thing, Jess…

Kelly: I’ve seen the real you before, Ryder. All those years ago.

Ryder: After everything I’ve been through, I don’t know if he’s there anymore.

Kelly: Well, I guess I’ll just have to deal with you until he gets back.

She gives a small smile before heading inside. Ryder watches her enter then turns back to look at the street before the complex. He looks down at his open hand then back up before turning back and following Kelly inside, closing the door behind him.

‘’Credits’’

After the credits, the police precinct is seen in the short distance. A dark figure walks through the night, approaching it. Inside the precinct, several officers are seen bustling around and attending to their duties. The figure, now in the lit interior, can be seen as a feminine figure in a dark suit with short, blonde hair, walking straight through the middle of the precinct. At the back, there’s an office door with blinds blocking out the window. The glass then becomes more focused and clear, with a label on the door reading “Commissioner’s Office”. The glass also reflects the woman approaching the door. She reaches for the handle and swings the door wide open. Inside the office, the Commissioner can be seen on the phone seated behind his desk. He looks over at the door, slightly surprised but mostly angered.

Police Commissioner: Listen General- ...Yeah, I’m going to have to call you back.

The commissioner hangs up the phone and gets straight up from his desk.

Police Commissioner: Who the fuck do you think you are barging into my office like that?!

The woman, the view now showing the front of her, has blue eyes and sharp face. She displays a badge from her lapel which reads FBI on it.

Federal Agent: Federal Agent Millie Anderson. I’m here on behalf of the bureau.

Police Commissioner: Under what investigation?

Agent Anderson: Under the investigation of the murder of Officer Alec Jordan.

Major Events

 * Ryder and Kelly solve the case and get Maxill arrested
 * The murder of Alec Jordan is now under the investigation of the FBI

Minor Events

 * Ryder and Kelly are now aware of the recent Mutant population burst in the city

Characters

 * Ryder
 * Jessica Kelly
 * Raggy
 * Pedro Avery (First Appearance)
 * Jewelry Store Cashier (First Appearance)
 * NYPD
 * Officer Deacon (First Appearance)
 * Police Commissioner
 * Federal Agent (First Appearance)
 * Citizens

Villains

 * Lee Maxill (First Appearance)

Allusions

 * The title of the episode, Shape of You, is a reference to the song written by Ed Sheeran.
 * Federal Agent Millie Anderson is an allusion to two characters; Millie being a reference to Millie Bobby Brown and Anderson being a reference to Gillian Anderson.

Trivia

 * Originally, this episode was meant to be written by just Brandon 10 but it only made sense to have the first couple of episodes be written by its showrunner rather than just its co-writer.
 * This is the first episode in which a reverse transformation from the wolf creature to Ryder is seen.
 * Although there was such a transformation (albeit less detailed variation) during his debut on Mutant Drake in Beware the Ryder.