Claire Everly

Claire enjoys a rare quiet moment

*Claire Jessica Everly* was a character played by lunaoni on TwitchRP and was formerly a Sergeant of the Gangs & Violent Crimes Division of the San Andreas State Police. Claire was well known among the city for her friendly manner and long, naturally white hair. Claire left the city in September 2020.

## History

### **Childhood**

Claire was born on February 11th, 1998 to Emily and Detective Jesse Everly in the Broker borough of Liberty City where she was raised. As a kid, Claire was considered a nerd and had few real friends. Peers often teased Claire for her natural white hair, leading to it becoming a sore spot as an adult. Claire enjoyed frequent outings with her parents, including visits to Middle Park, a former favorite spot of hers. Claire's father Jesse was a constant source of inspiration for her throughout her childhood, always looking up to the beloved Sergeant of the LCPD.

### **Loss of Parents**

When Claire was 17, her world was shattered by the brutal double murder of her mother and father. Their bodies were found in Middle Park, once a place of peace and happiness for them. The killer, believed to be a especially brutal serial killer her father Detective Jesse Everly had been investigating, was never caught. The slaying shook the LCPD, and cemented Claire's choice in becoming a cop herself.

### **Work in the LCPD**

Following the trauma of her parents' loss, Claire was resolute in following in her father's footsteps as a detective, and took her first step on this path by joining the Liberty City Police Department immediately upon graduating from high-school. Given her natural aptitude for the work thanks to growing up around an esteemed detective, Claire's early career was successful and fulfilling.

After proving herself a capable officer with a talent for the tactical and investigative sides of the job, Claire was made a part of a special operations unit within the LCPD that would respond to high-stress and high-value situations. During this assignment, Claire fell in love with her partner Alex Munroe, and a relationship blossomed between the two women. They were soon proven to be ill-fated lovers after a response to a hostage situation turned disastrous. Arriving to a hostage call, Claire made entry on the building and gained eyes on the victim alone in a room. Rushing in the secure the hostage, Claire was unaware of the explosives in the room. Her fellow officers, including her lover Alex, rushed in after Claire to pull her back and get her clear of the bomb. The device detonated, but Claire had been all but thrown out of the room by her lover Alex, who had remained too close to device. She and the other officer didn't survive, and the special operations unit didn't survive the incident. Claire was burdened with guilt and misery surrounding the failed operation, a burden she would carry with her for years to come.

Claire transferred to the Major Crimes division following the bad op, and dove into a different type of police work. Her father's work. Serial killers, deranged murderers, spree killers, those who delighted in hurting the innocent. Claire would put her focus there, excelling as a detective, helping keep Liberty City safe by hunting down those who would hunt others. She would eventually be promoted to Sergeant, reaching the same rank as her father did in that very department. Claire was filled with pride, but it was a bittersweet moment, for her family was still gone from her life. But she could keep the same thing from happening to others, and that mattered. Rebuilding was also possible, and it was during this time that Claire met talented and innocent reporter Eddie Concord and quickly assumed the role of his adoptive mother, a relationship that would turn out to be one of Claire's strongest and most lasting.

### **The Sanctuary Killer**

In November of 2019 Detective Everly picked up the trail of a new serial killer in Liberty City, an especially cunning and aggressive man who came to be called The Sanctuary Killer, aka Joe Buffalo. His driving obsession was sin, and especially those he considered to be guilty of it. Buffalo was driven to punish people he deemed to be sinners, and utilized a depraved religiosity in the enactment of his crimes. He killed multiple people in Liberty City, mutilating their bodies by carving bible verses into their flesh. His signature was a white rose, a symbol of purity, left at every crime scene.

Soon Joe Buffalo became aware of Claire's investigation of his killings, and developed a depraved obsession with her from afar. Buffalo blended in by driving a yellow taxi, one of untold number moving about in Liberty City on a daily basis. He watched Claire for some time (1), even going so far as to send her his signature white rose as a gift. In desperate obsession, Joe Buffalo kidnapped two of Claire's

    closest friends in an attempt to draw her out. Buffalo texted Claire ominous messages implying her friends weren't good enough and that they weren't "pure" enough, relentlessly terrorizing her as she worked feverishly to find him and her kidnapped friends.

Driven to recklessness by her emotional state, Claire was caught by Joe Buffalo while out searching for her friends (2), and taken by him back to his house where he would have free reign with her. Once Buffalo had her alone, he claimed that she was his "perfect woman," she was his "White Rose." Buffalo tortured Claire repeatedly, for some time, all in a depraved attempt to break her and make her submit to him. Buffalo took Claire's head and repeatedly held it under water, each time she was brought up for air Buffalo screamed at Claire that they were meant to be together. He drove a knife deep into Claire's leg and twisted it as he whispered his deranged desires to her. Buffalo continued his torture, alternating between pummeling her with his fists and dunking her head underwater for some time, utilizing every weapon at his disposal.

Claire spit in his face and cursed, telling him her fiance Jordan would save her. Buffalo dunked her head back under the water. Realizing he couldn't break Claire, and now calling her "Rose," Buffalo told her that Jordan wouldn't save her, and that she must now be cleansed, like he cleansed her friend. Claire begged to be let go, for it all to stop, she didn't want to die there with him. But the only way out was to cooperate with him, and Claire would never do that. She thought of Jordan, and told Buffalo her fiance was the one she wanted, not him, telling Buffalo that he was a "fucking creep" and she would kill him herself if given the chance. This earned Claire another stab in the leg from Buffalo, worsening her already serious blood loss. Claire's radio squawked in the background, they were definitely looking for her, but Claire wondered if they'd find her in time. She thought of Miu, her friend, as long as she got of this alive it would be fine. Joe Buffalo grabbed Claire's chin and held up a poisonous Lily-of-the-valley flower, speaking to Claire of her cleansing before shoving it down her throat. Before she lost consciousness Claire's last thoughts were of her fiance, and the last thing she heard were the sounds of a SWAT team kicking open the door to Joe Buffalo's house.

Joe Buffalo was taken into custody alive by the LCPD and transferred for interrogation. After being treated and regaining consciousness, Claire headed to the interrogation room where Joe Buffalo was and began getting extremely aggressive with him. Eventually Claire had to be forcibly removed from the room by her then fiancé, fellow officer Jordan White. Joe Buffalo was tried for his murders & kidnappings and sentenced to life in prison and is currently incarcerated in Liberty City. In the aftermath of the Sanctuary Killer case Claire was left deeply traumatized and had to attend therapy for paranoia, nightmares, and aggressive outbursts. She also developed an extreme phobia of flowers and would become deeply upset in their promixity.

## **Personality**

Claire is well-known for her upbeat & engaging personality, able to sling jokes and shoot the breeze with almost anyone in the city from violent criminals to fellow members of the SASP. She has a well-developed sense of humor and loves to partake in goofs of all kinds, even if said goofs end up getting her hurt. Claire also has a bit of a self-deprecating streak, often becoming the butt of a joke for the laughs. Imitations and voices are also a favorite of Claire's, she can often be heard doing her bogan accent and occasionally Vagos Claire.

While Claire has a serious side, she much prefers to keep things light-hearted if possible, an aversion to emotionally troubling topics owed to the traumatic murder of her parents when she was only a teenager. This also drives Claire's over-arching desire to keep all those she cares about safe, happy, and free from harm. While she is famously forgiving, Claire can be surprisingly pitiless to individuals she believes as beyond saving, once privately musing to herself that perhaps she should be the one to put a bullet in a serial killer's head.

Another defining trait for Claire is her serious love of cars, from American muscle to import sports cars. As long it goes fast and sounds mean, Claire loves to drive it. Some of Claire's favorite off-duty activities include driving her cars and visiting dealerships to talk shop. Claire currently owns a Dominator, an Ellie, and an Elegy RH8.

## Timeline

### **Move to Los Santos**

In December 2019, after the trauma of the Sanctuary Killer case, Claire and her husband Jordan up-end their lives in Liberty City and move across the country to San Andreas to begin anew as troopers in the San Andreas State Police. Claire joined the SASP Academy on January 10th. On her first ride-along as a cadet, Claire was treated to a rendition of "Barbie Girl" sung by Bones and Tombs (3) in the cells of MRPD. Claire graduated academy a short time later, becoming a full trooper in the SASP.

### **Zombie Apocalyse**

In the waning hours of January 2020, a strange disease swept the state of San Andreas, causing many to sicken and fall before rising again as a mindless corpse bent on destruction. Claire, JCVD, Venus Valentine, and many of the other survivors fought their way through hordes of reanimated horrors in order to secure Humane Labs and Patient Zero of the zombie outbreak. After expert work by JCVD, a vaccine was secured and Claire aided in its' immediate transport to Washington, D.C. in order to save the world.

### **Divorce**

In February 2020 Claire's relationship with her then husband, Jordan White, deteriorated to the point where divorce became a necessity. Lance "Grease" Coale, a lawyer familiar to Claire thanks to numerous entertaining cell calls, assisted Claire in the divorce. When Lance informed Claire that a name change from Claire White back to Claire Everly would cost $400,000 dollars, Claire was distraught. After just a short time in the city, she had nowhere near enough money. Yet, out of the ether, an anonymous benefactor paid the costs in full, allowing Claire to regain the last piece of her family she had left.

### **The Bunker Raid**

Following the disturbing events of the zombie outbreak, Governor Khloe Leaves cordoned off Mt. Chiliad and stationed military checkpoints at every way up. The populace of San Andreas was told little, and everyone was paranoid. Conspiracy theories grew rampant, and soon the San Andreas State Police themselves, including Claire, grew suspicious of the Governor. Eventually a man emerged from the bunker on Mt. Chiliad, claiming of a vast complex full of heinous experiments. He scattered evidence around San Andreas, and the SASP began to put the disturbing picture together. Unbeknownst to Claire and the rest of the SASP, Governor Leaves had kidnapped and replaced two of their very own troopers (as well as numerous civilians), Matt Bonnet and JCVD, with synthetic versions of themselves programmed to follow the Governor's orders.

Claire attended the Governor's Ball on duty, ostensibly to provide protection to the Governor, but in reality so Col. Rico and the rest of the SASP could get close to Khloe and learn what they could (as well as steal what catered food was left (4). The Governor's Ball went well until the JCVD Synth acted erratically and experienced embarassing malfunctions, eventually giving Tony Rico enough cause to organize a raid on Khloe's bunker afterward. Claire was assigned to Blue Team under Carrick O'Malley and participated in the massive raid on the secret complex, along with dozens of deputized civilians. Khloe's right hand men Bad Scroofy and Robot were defeated after a pitched gun-battle with deputized civilians, and the raid team moved in on Khloe Leaves. After being subdued with overwhelming force, the Governor was detained and brought outside. While the SASP secured the Governor outside, a final contingency plan went off inside the bunker. A nuclear bomb. The bunker's interior was destroyed and the dozens of civilians inside were badly irradiated. As the radioactive dust settled, the battle was still won.

### **The Feng Lieu Summary Judgement**

Claire's first summary judgement as a member of the San Andreas State Police was a high-profile one, and one that would lead to the defendant becoming one of Claire's first nemeses. After a chaotic shootout outside of Pillbox that saw bullets whizzing in and around the lobby of the hospital, Feng Lieu was taken into custody for the crime. Feng faced a laundry list of assault charges due to the protected location of the shootout, with a long jail sentence and a massive fine hanging over his head. Claire prosecuted Feng for the State, and Feng was found guilty and received a significant sentence. Feng was especially upset with the size of the fine, and this led to Feng privately swearing revenge against Claire. After his release, Feng enacted a plan to kidnap Claire as revenge but was ultimately unsuccessful.

### **The Timebird Trial**

After her first summary judgement earlier that year, Claire got to enjoy her second summary judgement as a member of the SASP, only this time the defendant was Fingle Dan. After two days of robberies and wild chases, Fingle had accumulated seven extensive warrants. On the 15th of March, after a few hours of more robberies and chases, Fingle Dan was taken into custody by members of SASP including Cadet Trooper Moxie, Sgt. Claire Everly, and K9 Poncho. Claire & Poncho transported Fingle to MRPD and upon arrival, Sgt. Everly was informed that the higher-ups insisted on bringing Fingle to summary judgement for his lengthy list of charges. In a stroke of either insanity or genius (or both) Fingle Dan hired the services of Timebird, a mysterious entity that exists outside our concept of time, to represent him at court.

At the courthouse Fingle met with Justice O'Malley and Sgt. Everly outside the courtroom where they both repeatedly clarified with Mr. Dan that it was in fact his intention to have a bird as his lawyer. After assuring them that it was and that he was ready to begin, Timebird began his career as Fingle's lawyer by blatantly insulting Justice O'Malley's choice of attire. Timebird continued his inauspicious start by refusing to even hear Fingle's charges until the case had already begun. (5) Timebird regularly insulted the members of the SASP representing the state against Fingle, calling Sgt. Everly a "pepega" and a "bitch," resulting in Justice O'Malley threatening Timebird with contempt more than once, actually giving Fingle Dan second thoughts on his choice of a lawyer. (6)

With Timebird defending and Trooper Tommy Horver and Sgt. Claire Everly prosecuting, the trial began. Horver read off Fingle's lengthy list of charges: Five counts of evading, one count of criminal possession of stolen property, one count of bank robbery, one count of obstruction of justice, and five counts of battery against members of the San Andreas State Police. Fingle was facing a maximum of 255 months and a fine of $113,000. Timebird's main defense for his client lay in his claims that Fingle Dan was incapable of committing said crimes because of his advanced age, that the SASP was biased against Mr. Dan, that Fingle's friends manipulated him into crime, and that daylight savings errors in a warrant timestamp was evidence of fraud. During closing statements, as the prosecution summarized its' case, Timebird interrupted again and Justice O'Malley charged him with contempt of court, levying first a fine of $500 then $1000 when Timebird interrupted again. In the defense's closing statements, Timebird claimed that Fingle Dan was a kind old man with a beautiful family who committed no crimes. At the conclusion of the trial Justice O'Malley found Fingle guilty and, taking into account the amount of time he'd already served prior to court, she levied a sentence of 60 months and a fine of $10k. Timebird, in the end, was finally charged a $2000 fine for his overall contempt of court during the proceedings.

### **Greg the Bomber**

It was a magical time in Los Santos as the holiest of holy days approached, 4/20/20, the zenith of all 420s. The city was abuzz with excitement, blissfully unware of the horrific crime spree that was about to begin. It was during this time, the week leading up to 4/20, that Claire began to receive disturbing phone calls from a hidden number. The caller was a deep-voiced man unfamiliar to Claire, but who seemed intimately familiar with her. He called himself Claire's biggest fan, regularly threatened her and the city with bombs, and insinuated on multiple occasions that she had a bomb in her ass. He claimed to be a "born simp" for Claire and wanted to help her get a promotion in his own twisted way. For a time the man, who called himself Greg, stuck to only calling Claire and making various bomb threats but took no real action. That all changed with the bombing of Zofie Palmetto's ambulance in the ambulance bay right outside Pillbox Hospital, an especially shocking crime that terrified nearby citizens. After the bombing of Zofie's ambulance, Greg managed to infiltrate various parts of the city and plant bombs for him to explode later on.

On April 19th, 2020, Greg arrived in San Andreas officially. Previously named Greg Greg, he changed his last name to Everly as a sign of devotion (7). Now Greg Everly, he began his true rampage on the city and people of San Andreas. Greg harassed Claire with multiple phone calls, threatening her and various people with bombs, detonating numerous just to prove how serious he was. Eventually Greg Everly kidnapped local icon Michael Jackson and dragged him out to the Torture Room, outfitting Michael's body with explosives and covering the floor in gasoline. Sgt. Claire and Sen. Trooper Burger were first on the scene and attempted to negotiate with Greg, but the deranged stalker was driven beyond reason and refused to negotiate. He detonated the bombs on Michael Jackson, which set alight the gasoline, and quickly turned the Torture Room into a horror show of smoke and blood. After the smoke dissipated Michael Jackson was discovered critically injured, and barely survived.

Claire and Burger eventually managed to take Greg Everly into custody and transported him to MRPD where he would face a litany of terrorism and assault charges. However, while in the cells, Greg began ranting about his charges. He told Claire that they'd never process him, and he didn't have the money for any fine, and that it was time for his final show. Claire, sensing something in Greg's frantic tone, backed away from the man, potentially saving her own life. Right in front of Claire and Burger, Greg Everly told them all that the bomb was in fact in HIS ass all along. A moment later, a horrendous explosion echoed in the cells of MRPD as the bomb inside Greg's body turned his midsection into mincemeat. Burger and Claire were both violently knocked to the ground by the blast and covered in bits of blood and gore from Greg's now devastated body. (8) Greg Everly lay in the cell, belly blown open, completely dead. After being helped to their feet by Sammy B, Claire and Burger were burdened with the unenviable process of carting Greg's barely-a-body to the morgue.

While on the slab in the morgue, as the medical examiner went to work, a ticking sound began to emanate from the mushy terrorist. Claire, flashing back to that one day in LC and the bomb that ended the lives of her fellow officers, immediately ordered the ME and Burger to leave the room. Sen. Trooper Burger, declaring he had "watched a YouTube video about bomb defusal", directly disobeyed Sgt. Everly's orders and ran back into the morgue room in an attempt to disarm the device. Burger plunged his hands into the ruined mush that was Greg's body and attempted to deactivate the explosive, but he was ultimately unsuccessful and the device detonated. Burger was tossed into the air by the explosion and came down with one less arm than he had before, laying in a crumpled bloody heap on the morgue room floor. When all was said and done the case of Greg the Bomber was closed, Burger received a robotic arm, and Claire was ordered to receive therapy by a less than credulous Col. Tony Rico. After the horror, as Claire sat in the dingy MRPD locker room, her phone vibrated. She had one new voicemail from Greg Everly, a final message recorded before his death. (9)

### **Punished Claire**

It was late April in Los Santos, spring was in full swing, and Claire was responding to a bank robbery with Commander Chaos, Xander Zappeli, and Joe Jonte. After the robbery, the gang led police on a chase which eventually turned into a brief shootout. After an exchange of gunfire, Chaos's side lost and the crew was detained. Distraught and convinced he had "domed" one of the troopers only to see the trooper emerge unscathed, Chaos demanded a "test" of Claire's armor in order to prove his aim was still good. Claire, in a moment of trust she would later regret, uncuffed Commander Chaos and allowed him to shoot her from about ten paces away. Chaos fired and struck Claire once in the shoulder, missing her vest and nicking an artery, causing Claire to lose consciousness from the shock and begin bleeding profusely. Claire lay bleeding on the ground for a moment as the nearby officers and members of Chaos's crew watched on in disbelief and confusion. In an unusual flash of empathy, Commander Chaos appeared to become upset with Claire's condition, yelling at the EMS on scene, Derek Schwimmer, to save Claire. Becoming frustrated with Schwimmer's care, Chaos intervened and even attempted first aid on Claire himself but this task was made difficult due to Chaos being in cuffs. (10)

Claire was rushed to Pillbox for immediate surgery, her condition very poor due to copious blood loss. Doctors repaired her GSW, but Claire remained unconscious, slipping into a brief coma. (11) Claire awoke many hours later dazed and weak, but pushed herself to leave the hospital and try to go back to work. Shortly thereafter she ran into former trooper and friend Tina Donovan, and her husband Jimmy "Nero" Donovan. They lured Claire close by being friendly with her, then put her into the trunk of their car. Tina, heavily intoxicated, drove them to an overpass and backed up so the trunk was over the edge. Intending to only "prank" Claire, Tina misjudged the height and Claire became seriously injured for a second time in less than 48 hours. She was unconscious again for some time, and the resulting blowback negatively impacted Claire and Tina's relationship for some time. Jimmy and Tina were arrested and charged, Tina agreeing to take the brunt of the blame in order to spare others. The rather laid-back attitude from other troopers towards Claire's litany of serious injuries that week led to a nagging concern in her mind that she wasn't as cared about or appreciated around the SASP as she thought, especially since some of the only people to express direct concern for her after her injuries were criminals, like Fingle Dan & others. (12)

### **Close Encounters**

Of all the traumatic and unusual events occurring in Claire's life during April and May, one of the strangest was the unusual behavior of her close friend and fellow trooper Sgt. Wiggam. On multiple occasions Wiggam acted unusually and spoke in a strange and distorted voice to Claire, making her concerned for her friend's well-being. The voice identified itself as "Sully" and made strange and unusual comments whenever he spoke. Claire kept an eye on her friend as he continued to exhibit unusual characteristics, and one fateful evening she ran into Wiggam while out on a drive.

Wiggam, speaking as Sully, began to delve into Claire's past in a way no one should have been able to do. Sully appeared to know specific details about Sgt. Everly's past, details she'd never disclosed to anyone in the San Andreas State Police. Sully spoke about the traumatic incident that occurred many years ago in Liberty City, when a tactical operation went south and fellow officers were killed. Claire was chilled to hear Sully talk about something it was impossible for him to know. The records were expunged, the LCPD committed to burying the incident, and Claire had never spoken of it to anyone. Yet here was Sully, standing right in front of her, detailing one of the most horrific moments of Claire's life. Claire was distraught and confused, but was beginning to slowly put the uncomfortable pieces together. This "Sully" individual, who had hinted at an inhuman nature, may in fact be something entirely outside Claire's, and perhaps the worlds', experience.

As if the knowledge of her past being in the mind of Sully and perhaps now Sgt. Wiggam wasn't bad enough, Claire would soon discover that word had spread. Col. Rico phoned her directly and asked for a meeting with him and Capt. Bright. In the meeting it was revealed to Claire that Sully had in fact called Bright and informed her of Claire's past in the now defunct LCPD taskforce. Bright then informed the Colonel, who called Claire in. Claire was forced to disclose the uncomfortable background she'd worked hard to forget. Sgt. Everly told Rico and Bright about the taskforce she was a part of, and the operation involving a bomb that ended up bringing it down. Responding to a hostage call, Claire arrived to a scene and discovered the hostage inside, rushing in to secure them. Claire didn't see the explosives in the room, however, realizing too late she'd moved in too fast. Her fellow responding officers grabbed Claire and pulled her out of the room just in the time to save her life, but not their own as the device detonated. Claire blamed herself, telling the Colonel that if she hadn't run in they'd still be alive. Rico told Claire that she couldn't blame herself like that, that everybody makes their own choices and she couldn't tear herself up over others'. Questions about Sully, what exactly he was, and how he got the information still remained, and now two members of SASP High Command were directly involved in the unusual case.

The nature of the entity known as Sully would soon be confirmed by the being himself after a dramatic hospital scene that unfolded following the hospitalization of Sully's apparent host, Sgt. Wiggam. In front of Col. Rico, Capt. Bright, and Sgt. Everly, Sully revealed himself as being an extraterrestrial entity that had possessed Sgt. Wiggam. Sully spoke of his motivations, of finding and protecting his family, and ensured them that he meant Wiggam no harm. Bright was seemingly unsurprised by the entity's admission, causing Col. Rico to suspect Claire and her had been keeping information from him. Claire however was equally surprised by Mia's apparent foreknowledge of Sully's nature, causing Capt. Bright to reassure them that she had simply deduced it following her own unusual interactions with Sgt. Wiggam aka Sully. Now the SASP had the grapple with the fact that one of their high ranking NCOs was apparently possessed by an alien entity.

### **Bright & Rico Wedding**

As the month of April wound down, the date of the long-delayed wedding between Mia Bright and Tony Rico had been finalized and preparations were actually underway. Tony, driven to delay the wedding by the ghosts of his past, had finally relented and set a final, official date for the wedding. April 28th, 2020. Security for the wedding was of the utmost concern given the recent activity of both the Mills & Kelloggs cartels, both of whom were suspected of actively plotting against the wedding.

As direct relatives of the groom, Tony Rico, the General Mills cartel would almost certainly be in attendance, and with the wedding to be open to the public, the Kelloggs were sure to be as well. Claire readily volunteered for the job of head of security for the wedding, eager to help her best friend Mia get the special day Claire felt she deserved. Showing his trust in her, Col. Rico accepted Claire's offer and put her in charge officially, allowing her to hand pick the security detail for ceremony. Claire's team consisted of Fred Dagg, Jax Storm, Ziggy Moe, and Lucas Rushing. The entire city was abuzz as the time for the ceremony approached, and dozens of people streamed towards the mansion grounds that had been chosen for the wedding. Claire's team monitored every entrance, searching, identifying, and handing out pineapple masks to everyone that attended.

As guests streamed in through the proper entrances, a commotion was raised after an unfamiliar individual in a blue suit appeared among the guests. Holding his hand to his ear and seemingly speaking into a radio, the unknown man approached several guests and randomly interrogated them. After being removed once, the wedding crasher snuck back in and this time assaulted the wedding DJ with a flashlight. Word of the interloper's assault made it back to Sgt. Everly and she immediately moved to intercept him. After interviewing the strange man claiming to be a security guard codenamed "Pufferfish", Claire ordered him to follow her to the tennis courts to meet with Rico in an attempt to get to the bottom of it. Taking Pufferfish aside, Claire attempted to confiscate his flashlight but he resisted and moved away. The commotion drew Col. Rico over, who informed Sgt. Everly that he had met the man earlier and he was associated with Jean-Claude Van Dan and Gorgeous George. After informing the Colonel of Pufferfish's assault on the DJ, whom Pufferfish claimed was being "rowdy", Claire asked Tony for his orders on the strange man. Rico, concerned with bigger matters, was unbothered by the man with a flashlight and opted to let him go. Claire followed after "Pufferfish" and ordered him not to commit any more assaults while he was present.

Claire followed the man at a distance for awhile, not noticing anything amiss, until at one point Pufferfish walked up to a group of guests and blatantly asked for tips. Her suspicions already raised at seeing his unmasked face close up earlier on, Claire followed Pufferfish and began interrogating him about his identity. Pufferfish, now suspected by Claire to be none other than Commander Chaos without his mask, abruptly pulled a fake beard from his suit coat and put it on right in front of her.     In a wildly different voice than before, "Pufferfish" stated he had a job to do and attempted to leave Everly's presence. She continued her interrogation, not relenting, fully convinced now that this was in fact Chaos in one of his famous "undercover" missions. "Pufferfish" repeatedly denied his true identity until baited out of his disguise by Claire's knowledge of Chaos's mindset. Seemingly agreeing with the man's assertions that he was a simple security guard, Claire remarked that "Commander Chaos is kind of a C-rate villain anyways," immediately leading Chaos to drop all pretense of a disguise in anger. (14) This being the first time Claire had met face to face with Chaos after he nearly killed her just days prior, she proceeded to admonish him for his actions and demanded an apology and a hug before she would allow him to remain for the wedding. Chaos agreed as long as Claire agreed not to blow his cover, and Claire insisted that Commander not cause any more ruckus. A hug was had, and Chaos went back out into the crowds.
Once the guests had arrived and the wedding party was in place, the ceremony was began by Rev. Clive Staples. As Clive spoke of love and duty, Claire monitored the bride & groom like a hawk, vigilant for any threat which might appear. Unfortunately the main threat lay within Tony Rico, and the man froze and stammered as his turn to exchange vows came. Embarrassingly, Tony fled the immediate vicinity, and the ceremony was brought to an abrupt halt. The wedding party scattered to the separate sides, Mia seeming confused and hurt, while Rico was silent and withdrawn. Claire monitored Rico while she had other members of her team keep an eye on Bright. Clive, Claire, Gorgeous George, and even JCVD himself attempted to talk Rico out of his mental break and get him to go back to the wedding, but Rico couldn't be shaken.

After being approached by a member of the Mills cartel with word about a direct threat against Mia by the Kelloggs, Rico ordered Clive to take Bright away from the wedding grounds immediately, further cementing in everyones' mind that the wedding would in fact not happen today. As Col. Rico confronted the Kelloggs in attendance about the threat, a thunderous roar shook the mansion grounds as a bomb exploded exactly where members of the Mills cartel, Tony's family, had been standing just moments prior. The security detail evacuated the area and EMS rushed in, pushing past fleeing wedding guests to get to the burnt and wounded people on the ground. Claire stayed with the Colonel, radioing for her team to ensure Bright was still safely in transit away from the location. After several agonizing moments of tension, Bright was eventually confirmed safe at MRPD. Col. Rico ordered Claire and Poncho to leave him and left the grounds alone to meet with Bright. Claire finished securing the scene after Tony left, assisting in clearing the onlookers and wounded away from the scene. Claire mentally berated herself for her perceived failure in not catching the bomb before it was detonated, the echo of her past with the LCPD haunting her still.

Once the chaotic scene had been contained and investigated, the officers on scene headed back to MRPD to continue their duties to the city. As Claire was inside MRPD the call went out that Bright had gone MIA and was suspected of being kidnapped. The force mobilized, and JCVD teamed up with Claire in the search. With Gorgeous George and Tony Rico relaying intel from a helicopter, Claire & JCVD headed towards Grapeseed at high rates of speed. It was during this ride that JCVD first accused Claire of being a "reptoid," likely a result of his unstable mental state following the wedding. JCVD accused Claire of using secret reptoid technology to change clothes quickly and he claimed that her tattoos were "flashing", all evidence of her "reptilian nature" in his eyes. Claire deflected JCVD's wild accusations, driving the crusier through the backroads of Blaine County looking for Mia. Claire received regular updates from friend and former trooper Jacob Stone over the phone as JCVD berated her driving from the passenger seat and gave wildly shifting pings based on texts from his friend & partner Gorgeous George. It was in a phonecall that Stone informed Claire that Mia Bright had willingly left MPRD to go meet the Kelloggs before she ended up kidnapped, behavior which concerned Claire as she drove the county looking for her friend.

After another radio call from Col. Rico, this time directing troopers towards the quarry, Claire & JCVD headed that way still desperate for any sign of Mia. At the quarry Claire and JCVD search high and low but come up empty with no sign of anyone around for miles. During this moment JCVD abruptly begins hitting on Claire, and after she rebuffs him, he begins to blame her for hitting on him instead. Stone calls again, this time informing Claire that it appears the Kelloggs cartel wants to force Col. Rico to choose between his current love Mia Bright and former flame Rowan Reese. After leaving the quarry empty-handed, Claire hears Rico call out over the radio again, his voice tense. He has eyes on Kelloggs at the Kortz Center and there were shots fired with an officer down. Claire speeds toward the city, barreling through every shortcut she knows to get there on time. While driving to the Kortz Center Claire hears Rico's tense negotiations with Krispix after he accidentally hot mics over the police radio, only fueling her concern for the situation unfolding. (15)

Upon arrival to the Kortz Center Claire finds that members of the Kelloggs cartel, including Krispix & Frosted Flakes, have Rowan Reese at gunpoint and there is no sign of Bright at that location. The scene was crawling with troopers, including Lucas Rushing, Gorgeous George, Shelby Stone, and others. With no sign of Bright at the Kortz Center, it became clear that she was being held at a separate location. A ranch house in Mirror Park was the likely location, and Rico radioed to Claire, while standing in front of Krispix, that he wanted her to check the location and only her. Colonel Rico said that Claire was the only one she trusted to save Bright, reiterating it once more to drive home the point. Claire had her mission, and she wouldn't fail him. She dropped JCVD off and peeled out of the Kortz Center in a rush. Shortly thereafter Claire arrived at the ranch house to find Mia Bright indeed being held hostage by other members of the Kelloggs cartel. After brief negotiation, the Kelloggs inform Claire that they will let Bright go if they're all allowed to leave safely. After relaying this to the Colonel and while he negotiated the separate hostage situation on his end, members of the Mills cartel arrived in force at the ranch house, spooking the Kelloggs who took Mia and fled the scene. A tense chase ensued, and Claire was confused by the sudden arrival of the Mills, worried that they had ruined the negotiations and that Mia would now be in danger. Unbeknownst to Claire, after negotiating on his end, Rico convinced Krispix to tell the Kelloggs holding Mia to drop her off at MRPD. Claire swooped in as soon as Mia was free and secured her, radioing to Rico that she had Bright safe. With the Kelloggs fleeing the scene, Claire and Bright sat together in the cruiser for a few moments as the stress of the kidnapping faded. Claire offered words of comfort to her friend, who seemed distant and depressed, but at the end of the day was at least safe physically.

### **The Kelloggs/Mills Taskforce**

Following reports that the Kellogs Cartel were trafficking in illegal weaponry between Liberty City and Los Santos, the San Andreas State Police started work on a cross-country taskforce in conjunction with the Liberty City Police Department. Troopers from the SASP were offered the opportunity to fly to LC and work alongside members of the LCPD in the hunt for the notorious cartels. Claire jumped at the opportunity, always eager to help out her fellow officers where she could, but made no secret of her reservations on returning to Liberty City. It'd be nice to see her old home again, but LC was home to more than just good memories for Claire.. LC was full of traumatic memories, visions of death and loss, and Claire had to confront them as she traversed the city during patrols and investigations into cartel activity.

During one secret mission for the Colonel, Claire was ordered to tail both the Colonel and Rowan Reese from afar and monitor a meeting they were having. The colonel was concerned about possible threats from either cartel, even his own family the Mills, and wanted Claire's mission to be top secret and appear as if the colonel himself didn't even know about her presence. Claire trailed Reese and the Colonel for a time, with the Colonel eventually arriving at a secluded parking lot near the water. Claire and her partner on the mission, Gabe Hiker, picked out a nearby tower that was under construction as the best spot to watch the meeting. From the third floor Claire had a decent vantage of both Rico and Reese, but the approach to parking lot they were in was obscured. Hiker recommended he move to a second position in order to have another angle visible, and Claire agreed, leaving her alone at her post. Claire monitored the meeting between Reese and Rico closely, taking numerous photos of them and the area. While watching the meeting, Claire was surprised and confronted by four strangers who aggressively demanded to know why she was there. After a brief conversation it was revealed the four individuals were members of the Mills cartel, and Claire realized her entire mission could be blown if the Mills found out the Colonel had ordered her to keep an eye on the meeting. The Mills cartel members demanded to know why Claire was there, asking her why she appeared to be taking pictures of the area. Claire, desperate to conceal her true reasoning, claimed to be sightseeing and taking pictures of a nearby bridge. Unfortunately, due to her nerves, Claire misnamed the bridge, which led to at least one member of the Mills cartel becoming extremely suspicious of her. After a brief interrogation by the Mills that seemed to be headed in a dangerous direction, Claire abruptly leapt off the third story of the construction site, landing soundly in a pile of gravel. Bruised and scraped up, Claire beat a quick retreat back to her cruiser and left the scene quickly. (16)

After escaping the aggressive and suspicious Mills cartel members, Claire called Hiker to regroup and sped off to a new location. Unbeknownst to Claire, the Mills had informed Rico that they discovered what appeared to be a cop investigating and watching over his meeting with Reese. Claire, driving through Liberty City in the disturbingly familiar LCPD cruiser, received an interesting phone call from Col. Rico shortly after escaping the Mills. Rico, his voice full of very convincing faux rage, berated Claire for overstepping her bounds and daring to investigate him. Rico dressed Claire down over the phone like he'd never done before, and Claire picked up on the vibe Rico was sending her. She played back a bit, giving Rico the right responses, communicating what she could to him while the Colonel covered for her on his side. It seemed the Mills bought Rico's story, and weren't suspicious of him, but they now knew all too well who Claire was, something she kept in mind as she continued her patrols in Liberty.

In addition to the national joint taskforce between the Liberty City Police Department and the San Andreas State Police, Col. Tony Rico had formed a small taskforce within his own department of highly trusted officers that he ordered to report directly to him on matters relating to the Kelloggs and Mills cartels. Rico picked Sgt. Claire Everly to be a member, and told her that the investigations they would be doing would be some of the most serious and intense she'd done in her time as a cop. (17) Rico imparted to Claire that the task ahead was extremely difficult, and that corners may need to be cut in order to get the job done and put away both the Kelloggs and Mills once and for all.

During the beginning of one seemingly uneventful shift in Los Santos, Claire was called to report to the CID building with several members of the SASP including Capt. Mia Bright, Trooper Nadal Najail, Sgt. Wiggam, and Sgt. Juniper Hunnicut. They were informed by the Colonel that they would be departing Los Santos immediately, headed out on the next flight to Liberty City. Recent intel had come in leading the Colonel to believe that there would be increased activity from the Kelloggs cartel in Liberty City in regards to their gun trafficking aspirations. With the threat of class 3s in the air, a short but tense flight followed. Arriving in Liberty City again left a sinking feeling in Claire's stomach, she'd already been through so much on these return trips, she wondered what today had in store for her. Claire paired up with Mia Bright, excited to spend time with her BFF again after so long. Bright hadn't been working much due to stress following the threats against her by multiple cartels and the disastrous end to her wedding. With Mia depressed and withdrawn even while off duty during their few interactions in the previous weeks, Claire was eager to get some alone time with her BFF and try to bring some light into her life. Claire joked with her best friend, occasionally getting a smile and a laugh, and things seemed to going well despite the serious atmosphere of the day.

After an uneventful start to their patrols together, Capt. Bright noticed a tail and informed her partner. Claire made a common joke of hers, "What did you do," playfully admonishing her friend in an attempt to cheer her up. Bright, however, reacted poorly and grew more distant and didn't speak much to Claire following this. After pulling up to a call, Claire noticed Bright head off towards an alleyway without saying anything. Concerned, Claire followed her, and tried to cheer her up some more by playfully picking Bright up. Bright resisted and kicked out of Claire's grasp, and the two briefly exchanged words in the alley before they were abruptly surrounded by members of the Kelloggs cartel armed to the teeth with automatic weapons. Claire and Bright were separated and forced into two different vehicles, Bright being shoved into a trunk and out of her best friend's sight.

Forced into the back of an SUV, Claire was taken away by Crispix, Rice Krispies, and Frosted Flakes. During the ride to whatever appointed location they had set, Crispix and the Kelloggs tormented her psychologically with putdowns and mind-games. No stranger to mind-games, Claire played back, attempting to convince the Kelloggs that they should let Bright go and keep Claire, that she was the one they really wanted. Claire intimated that Bright had been punished enough for her closeness to Rico, that they couldn't really do anything more. Unbeknownst to Claire, she had played right into Crispix's hands, as he let her know she was in fact correct. Crispix didn't want Bright at all, and that it was *actually* Claire they'd been following that day. Claire was confused by the abrupt turn, and wondered why the Kelloggs of all people would be interested in her. Crispix let Claire know that it was Rico's careless comment at the Kortz Center standoff that led to them taking her, that Rico said Claire was the only one he trusted to take care of Bright, and Crispix had heard the whole thing.

It soon became apparent to Claire that the kidnappers were headed in a very familiar direction, they were headed to Middle Park. A place of childhood peace was going to yet again become a place of adult trauma as the Kelloggs lead her into an underground alcove with automatic weapons pointed at her back.
With the taskforce on high alert following word that Bright & Everly had been kidnapped, the police combed the city for her. One LCPD officer, Janet Birdsong, discovered the Kelloggs and attempted to save Claire only to end up kidnapped herself. Holding two officers hostage now, the Kelloggs continued to play mindgames with Claire, telling her that Rico didn't really care about her or Janet, and that they would be just more women Rico would get killed. Claire continued to fight back psychologically, only turning the mindgames against one of her own in an attempt to save her life. Claire demeaned Janet Birdsong's ability and worth, calling her a worthless hostage and that they would do better to just let her go. Claire's surprising level of callousness shocked even the Kelloggs who were holding her hostage, but unfortunately Crispix doubled down on Claire's insults. Crispix belittled Birdsong further, telling her it appeared *no one* in the police department even cared about her. After driving home his own mind-fuckery, Crispix finally agreed with Claire and the Kelloggs let Birdsong go. Claire was now their only hostage, held at gunpoint by multiple armed cartel members.

Meanwhile, members of the SASP/LCPD taskforce had arrived in force outside and surrounded the alcove where Claire was being held with their own automatic weapons. Police cruisers blocked every entrance to Middle Park with their lights flashing, and armed officers combed the grounds instead of happy families. Colonel Rico moved in as close as he could to the standoff and began shouting at Crispix to negotiate. At one point during the stand-off, Claire's friend and former romantic interest Trooper Eevee Knox ran past the opening of the alcove in order to reposition, drawing the attention of the Kelloggs. Crispix inquired as to who the blonde cop was, and Claire worriedly exclaimed "She's nobody," hoping to throw the Kelloggs off Eevee's trail. Crispix didn't buy it, in fact commenting, "that means she's somebody, maybe we should kill her." Claire was already struggling with her feelings for Eevee, what they even meant, and now a vicious cartel was contemplating murdering her. Claire blamed herself, as usual, worrying that her reaction had gotten Eevee in danger. For the moment the Kelloggs seemed more interested in torturing Claire, and continuing his mindgames, Crispix told Claire that she was going to be "just the latest in a long line of women Tony Rico has gotten killed.“ Crispix, Rice Krispies, Frosted Flakes, and the others continued their mindgames, trying to convince Claire that the Colonel didn't really care about her at all, that she was no more than a tool to him. Col. Rico continued to negotiate for Claire's safe release for some time, but the Kelloggs seemed determined on making a dramatic and horrifying scene that day. Crispix demonstrated his cruel intentions by soaking Claire in gasoline, leaving her coughing and blinking at the fumes. He threatened her with a lit cigarette, and insulted her uniform and what it stood for, striking at the very core of Claire's identity. Rico made final attempts to negotiate, but the Kelloggs weren't interested in negotiating anymore. The Kelloggs gave Claire a choice: run, and be gunned down as she attempted to flee; or stand and face their weapons. Claire was willing to run to her fellow officers and take what bullets came her way, but the stress of the situation and the imposing force of the armed officers outside the alcove caused the Kelloggs to abandon that idea.

Changing their mind, The Kelloggs then ordered Claire to turn and face her companions and coworkers outside, her back to the armed cartel members plotting her death. A cigarette was tossed, and the gasoline soaking Claire's uniform and the ground around her went up in flames. Before she could even react to pain and horror of being on fire, automatic weapons fire rang out and high-powered rounds flew towards the defenseless sergeant. The Kelloggs Gusenbergs and AK-47 spat erratically, and only three bullets found their mark, ripping through Claire's vest and torso in equal measure. The Class 3s left ragged gunshot wounds that pumped blood distressingly fast, and Claire lost consciousness immediately from the severity of her wounds. Claire's unconscious body burned as the taskforce members opened fire themselves, dozens of bullets flying over her limp and smoldering form. The uniform blackened, the insignias melted and curled, but the fire was thankfully brief and Claire's physical burns were minor compared to the three GSWs to her torso. (18) A pitched gun battle between the Kelloggs and members of the taskforce raged in the small alcove, officers pushing the still standing cartel members back towards public bathrooms in the rear of the alcove in order to secure their downed officer. Claire's heavily bleeding body was moved out of the alcove to a grassy area above as the taskforce members below cleaned up what remained of the Kelloggs. A distaught Sgt. Juniper Hunnicut was the first to Claire and she immediately rushed to perform first aid on the three major GSWs that were still seeping blood out. the grass beneath Claire pooling with her blood. As Claire lay unhearing and unseeing, her mind or soul wherever one goes when near death, Juniper blinked back tears and beseeched Claire over and over to stay with her, to speak, to show some sign of consciousness. Applying pressure as best as she could, Juniper worked tirelessly on Everly's unconscious body, the medics slow to arrive due the violent and chaotic nature of the Middle Park shootout. Once the EMS arrived on scene Juniper stood back, crying now, her hands and arms covered in Claire's blood. The EMS on scene went to work on the dying sergeant, doing their best to stop the bleeding and stabilize her. Claire was then transported via ambulance to the nearby Schottler Medical Center where she was rushed into a crowded and dirty ER ward. The doctors at the busy Broker emergency room were all too used to gunshot victims, and went to work on Claire with their usual speedy yet jaded care. With the gunshot wounds sutured, blood transfused, and minor burns tended, Claire's vitals improved.

Unfortunately her condition improving was the only upside Claire would find, as the first thing she saw when she regained consciousness was the unkempt and dirty ceiling of a medical center that was clearly falling into disrepair. The stained walls were somewhat familiar to Claire, though she didn't remember them being this filthy when she was younger. Claire internally mused over the fact that she had lay near death in the very hospital where she was born, yet another bit of cruel irony to add to pile she was already collecting. As Claire struggled to gain a better view of the room she was in, she was distraught to see there were no fellow officers anywhere near her. In fact, the only other occupants of the room were three members of the cartel that had just gunned her down not more than an hour previously, as well as one clearly intoxicated doctor. Delirious from both the physical and emotional toll of the day, and upset at waking alone surrounded by strangers who didn't care for her, Claire slowly disconnected herself from the monitor and painfully withdrew her IV. Eager to leave the terrible hospital and terrible company, Claire pushed herself up out of the hospital bed and painfully shuffled out of the ER ward without interference from the whiskey-ed up doctor.

Immediately outside the ER ward the mental fog Claire found herself in was briefly shattered by the abrupt appearance of Jean-Claude Van Dan and Sgt. Wiggam. Wiggam inquired as to why Claire was even out of a hospital bed, but Claire brushed him off, implying that it didn't even matter. What little of the Kelloggs' taunts she could remember floated through her mind as she staggered through the Schottler Medical Center, doing her best to ignore a concerned Wiggam as he followed after her, calling for Claire to come back. Pausing at the nurses' station to discharge herself, Claire overhead Jean Claude Van Dan informing Officer Janet Birdsong that she would be disappointed that Claire was alive, because she had lost her bet. The words registered in Claire's brain as she shuffled off, but she made no reaction to them. Claire swayed on her feet as she headed out the main doors of Schottler, Wiggam still on her heels. Claire continued to brush him off, closing herself off emotionally in reaction to everything she'd experienced in the past few hours. Dazed and still exhausted from her injuries, Claire slumped against a bollard by the ambulance lane right outside the hospital. Sgt. Wiggam told Claire that if she wouldn't go back inside the hospital, he'd stand right there and keep her safe, and proceeded to do just that, assault rifle at the ready. Two criminals familiar to Claire, Bad Scroofy & Mood Slayer, were also nearby and offered Claire their own form of moral support as she sat outside the hospital. JCVD and Poncho joined Claire as well, keeping her company at a critical moment in her life, showing her that at least three members of the SASP (as well as two criminals) were directly concerned for her well-being.

Claire's self-doubts and concern over her perception among most of the force were multiplied when Rico and many other members of the taskforce arrived, barely giving Claire a cursory glance. Col. Rico himself pointedly averted his gaze from Claire, fueling her suspicions that she was truly unwanted and that perhaps the Kelloggs had a point after all. Rico and the rest of the officers moved into teh hospital to secure the Kelloggs, leaving Claire alone with her rag-tag support group. Eventually Wiggam was ordered to store his AR and return to duty, and he did so reluctantly, offering what parting words of comfort he could to Claire. Scroofy, Mood, JCVD, and Poncho all tried their best to raise Claire's spirits, but they had little affect. After no word from Rico and no other officers approaching her, Claire painfully pushed herself to her feet and walked away from the hospital alone. Claire walked by herself along the streets of Liberty on the way back to the LCPD building, the trauma and apparent lack of support weighing heavy on her mind.

As dark thoughts swirled in her mind, Claire was surprised to see Eevee pull up alongside her in a patrol car. Eevee, concerned for her friend and fellow officer, demanded Claire get in the car and ride back to PD with her instead of walking alone. Eevee did her best to show her concern for Claire, to get her to open up, but the heavy moments of earlier and the apparent lack of support Claire had experienced counteracted the friendly blonde trooper's attempts to lift her spirits. Eevee dropped Claire off at the local LCPD building selected as HQ for the cross-country taskforce, and Claire headed inside. After dressing in a clean uniform, replacing her burnt and damaged one, Claire ran into Juniper Hunnicut in the lobby. Juniper, who had been the first to respond to Claire's bloody & unconscious body, reached out to Claire at the PD that evening and tried to break through. Juniper's voice nearly broke as she spoke to Claire, reaching out to the traumatized and wounded Sergeant, but got little response from her in return. Nothing was making it through the haze that had settled around Claire's mind following the day's trauma.

Outside the PD building, Claire sat in the carpark near the garage and watched Rico and Bright off in the distance. They seemed locked in a serious argument, and there were no signs of it ending soon. Claire wished that Rico would reach out to her and show concern, but it never happened. Claire sat with Scroofy and JCVD in the carpark, and they offered what moral support they could, with Scroofy hoping she would quit PD in order to avoid being shot in the future. Eventually Rico and Bright left for a call, and Claire gave up expecting a show of concern. JCVD nudged Claire and asked if she could take him and Scroofy out on patrol, and Claire agreed, eager to distract herself from the misery of the past few hours. It was a short patrol, and the boys succeeded in getting a smile or two from Claire during it, but she ended the day not long after. Claire went to bed for the night without a word of concern from her Colonel, a man she considered a mentor, and the dark thoughts grew.

### **The Murder of Lt. Colonel Strickland**

On May 16th, while Claire was off-duty and relaxing with some casework up on the third floor of the MRPD building, one of the most heinous crimes to ever be perpetrated against a member of the SASP occurred. Lt. Colonel Eleanor Strickland, one of the most cherished members of the SASP and a vital member of High Command, was kidnapped. She was taken to a remote location, tortured, mutilated, and brutally slain. Claire, off duty and lost in thought, had no idea what she would hear when she idly turned her radio on that day. Maybe Fingle was about, and she could clock on duty and get a chase in. Instead she heard the call that the Lieutenant Colonel had been murdered, and that a massive manhunt had been ordered for Charles Romero, the suspect. Disbelief and rage warred in her mind as Claire ran downstairs to get dressed and respond to the manhunt. Downstairs, after dressing for duty, she ran into friend and recently re-hired trooper Tina Donovan, and the two immediately partnered up to head out on patrol.

The city was in turmoil as the news of Strickland's murder went out, as the Lieutenant Colonel was widely respected and admired by people of San Andreas, even by members of the criminal element. So much so that as Claire and Tina responded to robberies, the criminals inside threw up their hands and gave up upon hearing the news, swearing off crime for the night in honor of the Lt.Col. The streets were quiet, unusually so, with most criminals sitting idle as the city mourned the passing of Eleanor Strickland. Claire and Tina headed out to Blaine County to comb the back-roads for anyone suspicious, conducting numerous traffic stops along the way, checking the ID of everyone they encountered. It was during this patrol out in Blaine County that Claire and Tina encountered a dark colored muscle car speeding and changing lanes abruptly. Nothing too out of the ordinary in the wide open country roads, but that day everyone was getting stopped.

Claire pulled ahead, catching up to the speeding vehicle, and Tina asked the driver to pull over. At first the man seemed to be cooperative, verbally agreeing to their directives to pull his vehicle over. After slowing briefly, the man then gunned the engine and sped away. (19) A chase ensued, and Tina radioed it in. The driver began shouting back at Tina and Claire, and it confirmed their suspicions that it was in fact Charles Romero behind the wheel. After confirmation, Col. Rico ordered them to allow Romero to get to Humane Labs in order for a negotiation that was apparently planned. Tina relayed this to Claire and the two kept on him, but falling back a little to give Romero space. Romero kept shouting back at them, and Claire desperately worked to keep the cruiser in range to hear what he had to say. Communication between the cars was strained due to the high rates of speed and Claire couldn't hear much of what Romero was saying. Abruptly, the chase veered off into the mountains as Romero took his muscle car off-road in an attempt to lose Claire and Tina, but Claire kept on him on the bumpy, winding dirt roads.

Tina continued to try to open a constructive dialogue with Romero as Claire kept the pursuit on him, cruising at high rates of speed through the dusty dirt roads. Romero was hauling ass through the mountain roads at breakneck speeds, and at one abrupt turn he missed it completely and sent his muscle car sailing off the cliff. It tumbled violently down the mountainside several times before landing hard against the base of a huge fir tree, exploding immediately as the gas tank was undoubtedly ruptured by the violence of the collision. (20) Claire navigated the cliff-side with her cruiser, following after the suspect's vehicle, and ends up right side up next to the burning car. Claire and Tina immediately pile out of their vehicle and hit the burning car with fire extinguishers, doing whatever they could to salvage the fiery crash in front of them. After the fire is put out, Romero's unconscious form is removed from the vehicle and his condition is assessed. Romero is heavily charred, has significant trauma to his chest, and no pulse is detected. Col. Rico orders the body to be kept there, but it's moved by Lt. Miller and taken to Pillbox where he is declared dead.

Meanwhile Claire and Tina end up stuck out at the scene where Romero ended his reign of terror after their police cruiser became scuffed. After calling for backup, the Van Dans responded to their distress call and headed to rescue them. Unfortunately, due to the Van Dans being the Van Dans, they became medicals while attempting to rescue Tina and Claire. After then being rescued by Tina and Claire, the four of them gathered their wits and headed out of the boonies back to MRPD. Claire spends the rest of her day berating herself for her driving, that perhaps if she had given Romero more room in the pursuit he might not have veered off the cliff. She wrestles with her thoughts on the chase, wondering if it was good that Romero died, or if he should've lived to see trial. Would it have mattered, she wondered, for a guy like Romero? The question lingered in her mind, and bothered Claire for some time.

### **Gang Gang**

In May of 2020 the San Andreas State Police began a restructuring intended to help with investigations and the overall workflow of the department. The PD would consist of three divisions: Vice, Gangs/Violent Crimes, and Robbery/Homicide. The department was abuzz with discussion as everyone decided on where their best fit was. Many troopers jumped right into a division of their choice, but Claire struggled with the decision for a bit.

Internally Claire thought Homicide would be a great fit considering her background, she knew all too well what a homicide investigation was like. Helping people solve the horrible crimes that were perpetrated out there, crimes that took the lives of friends and relatives, that could be something that could drive Claire. Something she thought she would enjoy. After several months in Los Santos, however, Claire had interacted with numerous gang members and had plenty of cordial, respectful interactions with them. Many officers felt cowed or unsafe around gangs, unsure of how to approach them, but Claire always had a way of getting even the most violent gang member to relax and chat with her. Her goal was always to try to get people to smile, relax, and stop the violence whenever she could. She'd even gone through the trouble of keeping her own private profile of the gangs of San Andreas, with lists of names and aliases, known associates, all the details a member of the gangs division could put to good use.

    After internal reflection Claire was leaning heavily towards Gangs, but was still weighing the options the Homicide division could offer. When she heard that Major Clive Staples, a man who was like an older brother to her, would be the head of that division Claire's decision was sealed. She joined Gangs, bringing her gang profiles with her, and assisted the rest of the team in Gangs in building an information bank on the various gangs of the state.

### **Not So Loveless Anymore**

Following the brief emotional fling between herself and Trooper Eevee Knox that ended in awkwardness and confusion, Claire had privately sworn off romantic relationships, telling herself that opening up to someone endangers both her and the person she opens herself up to. Claire tried to convince herself that she didn't need the distraction, and was better off pushing people away. Despite this attitude, Claire found the walls she had put up beginning to crack in late May, and it was all thanks to a certain smooth-talking bank robber. The robber, one Lyric Loveless, originally met Claire as she was recovering from being gunned down by the Kelloggs in mid-May. Looking to make friends with Claire, Lyric decided to hide in Claire's trunk and surprise her as way of breaking the ice. Lyric's introduction seemed to work, and the two developed a friendly rapport. With the two often meeting at Lyric's robberies, their interactions were fraught with flirtatious tension as Lyric took every chance to flirt with the white-haired trooper. Claire regularly rebuffed Lyric's advances at first, flustered by the attention and unsure of how to react. Deep down, though, Claire found herself intrigued by Ms. Loveless, and often found herself thinking of the fellow Broker girl. Still Claire wrestled with the thought of dating someone on the wrong side of the law. Bank robberies sometimes turn violent, Claire knew this all too well in her time with the SASP. She'd never seen Lyric act in such a way, but the worry lingered.

With Claire and Lyric's sleeping schedules luckily aligned, they encountered each other frequently as Claire would often be on-duty to respond to Lyric's robberies. As such, Lyric had ample chances to break down the walls Claire had built around herself, finally beginning to get flirtation and smiles back from Claire. Lyric's lack of violence and the friendly nature with which she engaged in her crimes eventually assuaged Claire's worries, and the sergeant found herself actually entertaining the idea of dating Lyric. The budding relationship escalated as Claire continued to respond to Lyric's crimes with a regularity that led to Lyric playfully teasing Claire of being "obsessed" with her. Eventually the dam holding back Claire's emotions broke, and she agreed to a date. One date turned into two, and in less than a week Claire was inviting Lyric to stay at her home whenever she wanted. Shortly thereafter this arrangement turned permanent, with Claire and Lyric officially living together.

The inevitable day came when Claire would have to respond to her girlfriend's crimes, and that day was a scant few weeks into their relationship. Responding to a pharmacy robbery on June 5th, Claire became suspicious of the heist crew's hacker. The hacker's face was disguised by an extensive mask, and the voice was altered by some sort of distorter built into it. However Claire couldn't shake the feeling that there was something familiar about the mannerisms and language used by the hacker inside the bank. She could disguise her voice all she wanted, but without changing how she spoke and the attitude she carried herself with, Lyric couldn't get away with crime in front of her sharp-eyed girlfriend. Claire began teasing Lyric from outside as the hacker struggled with the new firewall system, adding to the stress of the job. Eventually she succeeded, and the heist crew continued their brazen looting of the pharmacy. Once they had plundered their fill, the 3 lady robbers fled the store with Claire in hot pursuit. A wild chase followed, Sgt. Everly sticking on to Lyric and her crew with ease. Eventually the chase ended in the suspect's vehicle 10-50ing hard and becoming disabled in the canals. A brief foot chase ensued, with Claire tazing and detaining both Paityn Leaf and Lyric Loveless. Securing both of them in her cruiser, Sgt. Everly then utilized her extensive experience with crafty criminals, and ran back to the suspect's vehicle. Her taser at the ready, Claire popped the trunk of the escape vehicle and a surprised and giggling Nicole Hunter popped out and attempted to flee. One quick taser shot later, and Claire had all three robbers in custody (21) and headed back to MRPD. Passing off the processing of her girlfriend to a fellow officer, Claire processed her accomplices and thought about just how interesting it was going to be dating a robber.

### **The Navy Seal Kidnappings**

Between the inter-state taskforce, constant bank robberies, the murder of Strickland and the deaths of multiple other troopers, May was an extraordinarily stressful month for the members of the San Andreas State Police. It was made all the more stressful by a series of horrific kidnappings and assaults by a man from Jacob Stone's past, a former Navy Seal by the name of Evan Samson. Arriving in Los Santos, Samson made a list of people connected to Jacob Stone he wanted to strike out at. Originally not on the list, Claire was warned she had ended up on Samson's radar after an interaction they had, with Claire being listed as "snotty detective" on the man's hit list. The threats of kidnapping and assault lay heavy over the SASP, with multiple of Claire's fellow troopers ending up in the hands of this deranged yet talented man.

In late May the crime spree of Evan Samson struck particularly close to home for Claire with the violent assault and kidnapping of returning trooper and new friend Richard Chalk, as well as a following assault and poisoning of her best friend Mara Fox. Chalk had been tortured and his throat slit, and Mara had been tortured & stabbed before being poisoned with a toxin derived from pufferfish venom. The vicious attacks against those close to her left Claire shaken, and she attempted to shake off the stress of what happened with a regular patrol out on the streets of San Andreas. Early on in the day an interaction with known rapscallion Nicole O'Malley turned comical and criminal when Nicole pilfered some items from Everly's cruiser right in front of her, which led to a high-speed chase after which Nicole O'Malley went UTL. With an easy warrant written, Claire went about her shift, righting what wrongs she could out in the city. Towards the end of her shift, Nicole O'Malley contacted her about the earlier theft and offered to turn herself in. Happy to put the silly incident to rest and send Nicole off to some well-deserved rest in prison, Claire had Nicole come in to MRPD to be processed. Handing off the processing of Nicole to a fellow trooper, Claire went back upstairs to resume her patrol with Chalk, who was still recovering from the slashed throat.

Only minutes later a medical call came in from Bolingbroke, and Claire was informed that Nicole O'Malley had been attacked by Evan Samson in prison. Claire's mind raced with brief panic as the pieces fell into place. Claire and Chalk rushed to Bolingbroke to assist in the search for Samson, who had vanished inside the massive penitentiary after his brutal attack on Nicole. An intense manhunt ensued of the entire prison, with at least a half dozen troopers combing the area for him. Eventually the higher ranking troopers on scene called the search off, there was other work that needed doing, and soon Claire and Chalk were the only ones left on scene. Claire and Chalk, determined and angry, continued searching the prison long after their higher ranking officer said they could go. Claire and Chalk checked every possible hiding spot, even going bush to bush, fully aware that the highly-trained man could be hiding almost in plain sight. Their persistence paid off after Everly noticed a strange looking "branch" under one bush, and after one quick tazer shot, her suspicions were confirmed when a grunting Evan Samson emerged. Chalk, standing nearby, was taken aback by the large man emerging from the bush and had no time to defend himself. Shaking off the tazer, Samson grabbed Chalk by his still severely wounded neck, threatening grievous injury given the former Navy Seal's size and strength. Samson's release time was close, and he'd soon be free to flee out the prison gates, and his grip on Chalk's neck ensured that he'd be able to buy the time needed. Claire kept her weapon leveled at Samson but knew she couldn't pull the trigger without risking Chalk's life. The last few moments of Samson's sentence ticked away, and he released Chalk abruptly and slipped away from the prison, with Claire hot on his heels. Claire and Chalk rushed outside the prison looking for Samson, combing the ground as best they could, radioing in what had just transpired. Despite all their searching, Samson was not relocated and slipped away into the night.

On June 1st it was shaping up to be another good FTO day for Claire, the city had a lively atmosphere, and the mood was generally good. Having been informed by Jacob Stone a few days prior that she was no longer considered to be on Samson's list, Claire was remarkably stress-free. The constant threat of kidnapping had been rough, with the department on double badge orders more often than not. After all the events of May it was good to "relax" with some patrol and FTO duty. Responding to a bank robbery in the city, Claire was greeted by the sight of a crew of bank robbers she happened to have a friend or two in. Negotiations started, and after some Colonel Case intervention, Claire and her cadet were left with a downed Xhang Zu Chan and one cuffed Paityn Leaf. Paityn, a close friend of Claire's girlfriend Lyric, had become relatively well-known to Claire and the two had even become friends themselves. A friendly conversation between the two was underway as Claire waited for EMS to arrive on scene to attend to the wounded Chan.

A strangely colored Sultan with a strangely familiar license plate then slowly creeped up to the bank, four masked occupants inside. A voice called out, and Claire and her cadet approached the car to see if they needed aid or directions. Immediately three of the masked individuals piled out of the Sultan with guns drawn and held Claire and her cadet at gunpoint, with a shocked Paityn forced to stand handcuffed and helpless as it transpired. As Claire and her cadet were being forced into the trunk at gunpoint, the previously called EMS arrived on scene. The two EMS immediately recognized what was transpiring and radioed it in to dispatch, sparking an immediate response. Realizing the EMS had already radioed it in and that there were numerous witnesses, the driver ordered his conspirators back into the car and they sped away with Claire and her cadet confused and trapped in the trunk. Wrestling with the complexity of two kidnapped officers, the driver found a secluded area nearby and ordered his two conspirators in the backseat to take the cadet out and take care of him themselves, while he and his passenger would take Claire off in another direction. Claire was terrified for her fellow officer, and demanded they let him go unharmed.

The driver of the Sultan sped through the city with Claire still in the trunk, and it soon became apparent that he was none other than Evan Samson, and that the woman in the passenger seat was his girlfriend. Claire was disgusted by the thought of a man like Samson being intimate, confused as to how he could find a woman. She felt pity for the girl despite being kidnapped, and still silently hoped she and everyone could get out of this alive. Thanks to the immediate police response and the violent colors of the Sultan Samson was driving, the SASP caught eyes on him fairly quickly and an intense 10-80 resulted. Samson led troopers on a high speed chase throughout the entire city of Los Santos, with the SASP losing eyes and regaining them more than once. After taking Claire out to Sandy to deactivate her tracker, Samson again regained the attention of the SASP with Tina Donovan arriving as Samson was leaving with Claire. Tina demanded that Samson open a negotiation, to which Samson replied "NO NEGOTIATION!" and sped away. The reality of her situation weighed heavily on Claire and dread sank into her bones as she thought she might actually die. That despite all she'd been through in her life, this could be it. The dread worsened as Samson drove like a maniac through the city, eventually losing Tina. Samson tormented Claire psychologically from the front seat, shouting back at her whenever he lost a pursuing officer, letting her know when she was alone and without help. Claire fought back, shouting her own insults at her kidnappers, but the trauma was taking its emotional toll.

Ditching the now nearly-wrecked Sultan near the Vinewood Bowl, Samson and his girlfriend dragged Claire at gunpoint on foot over hills to a road in order to steal a new car. Claire felt the end coming, a coldness taking her as shock began to set in, completely numb as she was dragged to what she surmised was her death. Then, in the distance, she heard sirens, and not just from one direction. The sirens closed in from all sides, and the heavy thudding beat of Air One's rotor blades beat life into Claire's fast fading hope of survival. Samson desperately searched for an operable vehicle, finding one as cruisers approached from behind and in front, sirens and lights blaring. Air One streaked in, overhead within moments, with Colonel Case's voice blaring over the loudspeaker. Samson was ordered to surrender, he had refused to negotiate, and he was given one final chance by Case. Samson refused, ordering his girlfriend to get Claire into a nearby vehicle. Out of the corner of Claire's eye she saw Lola Copeland's pink hair blowing in the breeze as she leaned out of the helicopter, assault rifle in hand. The order to fire was given, and Copeland rained absolute hell on Samson and his girlfriend as they attempted to secure the vehicle for their escape. Lola's aim was true, and every shot missed Claire and hit her kidnappers. Samson slumped over in the driver's seat, his girlfriend crumpled on the ground next to the car. The fire ceased, and troopers swarmed in. Lt. Hunnicut pulled Claire off scene, soothing her and talking her down. Claire blinked in shock as she looked around at the response, officers came in from every angle, offering words of comfort and support. Colonel Case landed Air One and came over himself, taking Claire aside and cheering her up as best he could. Case had a medic check Claire out, and made sure she was going to take the rest of the day off. As the shock and horror of the kidnapping faded, Claire flashed back to waking up alone in the Schottler ER ward, with seemingly little support from her fellow troopers. That dreary day in May contrasted sharply with this sunny June day, surrounded by her fellow troopers, her family. She'd struggled with feelings of being unwanted and unappreciated by the department, and often referred to herself as the "black sheep" of the SASP. From the outpouring of support she received that day, clearly that wasn't the case. She may be the only Everly, but Claire definitely had a family again.

### **Venom of the Vipers**

The lives of multiple gangs were suddenly up-ended in June as the SASP conducted a series of raids on warehouses and other property owned by members of The Vipers MC, Bad Omens MC, and The Bandits. Whilst not a part of the raids themselves, Claire would find herself embroiled in aftermath. Following the search of their property and the seizure of items used in creation of illegal firearms, the Vipers were facing a litany of felony charges. Seeking to spare his family from further headache, the president of the Vipers, Lance "Grease" Coale, offered to assist the Colonel of the SASP in a case against a corrupt judge. Word of this leaked to the Vipers, and Grease was given a chance to go on a last ride to redeem himself. The last ride ended up in a hostage situation after Mara Fox was kidnapped, which led to a shootout at the O'Neil ranch, with Grease dying in the shootout and a bystander, Reilynn Tombs, being killed by officer fire. Coming on shift the next day, Claire was shocked to hear of the events that transpired the previous night. Claire was thankful Mara was safe now, and filled with complex thoughts over Grease. She had always liked the man and Grease had always been fair and friendly in all of their interactions. Yet now he was dead, killed in a shootout with high-powered weapons after kidnapping her best friend and Lieutenant Colonel. The SASP was on high alert following the O'Neil ranch shootout, and a double badge order was mandatory. The Vipers were out for blood following the negligent killing of Reilynn Tombs, and no officer was considered safe.

It was during the beginning of one shift in late June that Claire went from bystander to direct participant in the tense drama. Multiple Vipers had taken officers and civilians hostage at gunpoint in Pillbox Hospital, and a TAC team was being requested. Claire volunteered immediately, always finding herself drawn to high-stakes situations like this, eager to assist her fellow troopers with highly charged negotiations. Suiting up, Claire volunteered to be TAC team leader and was assigned Gabe Hiker and Gidgett Hearth. Garry Smod, Padraig Maddox, and Captain Elsa would form the other team. Arriving at Pillbox they made contact with the Vipers who had holed up inside Ward A, and Captain Elsa attempted negotiations. The Vipers demanded the names of officers involved with the O'Neil ranch shootout, eager for their revenge, but Captain Elsa refused to hand over her fellow troopers. After Elsa determined the Vipers were not interested in negotiating, Claire heard the call for a breach and readied her squad. Pulling herself back to give a clear shot to Hiker and Hearth, Claire told the two to move in on her left and right and that they would have first shot moving in to the ward. Either because Claire was tired from lack of sleep or the tension of the situation, the lack of clarity in her directives led to Hiker misunderstanding and firing off a warning shot at a wall as he moved in. Claire was shocked at Hiker firing first, and as she attempted to wrap her mind around what was transpiring the Vipers returned fire, set off by Hiker's discharge and the TAC teams unannounced entry. The other TAC team followed suit, pushing into the ward from the other side, opening fire on the Vipers in response. Bullets flew inside Pillbox, the small space of Ward A crammed with bodies and gunsmoke, and people started to drop. A hostage officer and every Viper and their associates on scene were downed by gunfire.

An uneasy silence settled over the hospital following the cessation of gunfire, and multiple people lay bleeding and dying. After it all ended four people were dead and Rori Tombs was seriously wounded, her presence causing further emotional turmoil for Claire. Among the dead was Gertrude Staples, adopted daughter of Claire's mentor Major Clive Staples, and Claire did all she could to withstand the burden of guilt she was feeling that day. The bodies were moved and the wounded were transported to undamaged areas of the hospital, leaving Claire alone to process the scene. The entire length of the hallway outside the operating rooms was slick with blood, making walking difficult. The gunfire caused extensive damage, broken windows and damaged doors, bullet-holes peppering the walls like a stele of carnage. The horror led into the recovery room of Ward A, blood soaking the hospital beds inside in a crude mockery of their intended use. Damaged hospital equipment lay knocked to the floor, IV stands and EKGs, scattered amongst the wreckage along with the bullet casings. Claire blinked back tears, steeling her emotions and forcing herself to focus, trying not to dwell on the horror that had unfolded before her. Her usual demons of self-doubt and guilt were flaring up again, and Claire threw herself into the forensics work before her, relying on the cold detachment she developed during her days as a detective. She processed dozens of bullet casings, took numerous blood samples, and photographed the terrible scene extensively.

Compiling the evidence she'd gathered, Claire left the hospital scene to the orderlies and forensics clean-up team, and headed back to VPD to write the massive report that was required. Images of Rori's bloodied body kept flashing into Claire's mind as she compiled the report, and she wondered what would even remain of their friendship after this. Surely nothing, Claire thought, Rori must hate her.      Claire had been convincing Rori to become a cop and had been so excited at the prospect of training her, and then Rori's sister was gunned down by negligent gunfire at the O'Neil ranch. Rori had chosen the Vipers afterward, had chosen the gun, and a part of Claire couldn't blame her. Family was important, Claire knew that more than anyone. You had to protect what family you had, but for Claire, her family was the SASP. She felt like she had let her family down that day, especially Clive, who lost his daughter in the disaster at Pillbox. Her decisions from that day kept replaying in her head as she tried to find sleep, and Claire tossed fitfully throughout the night.

The next day Claire was awoken from the brief amount of sleep she'd had to the word that the tribunal convened for the O'Neil farm shootout would also be looking into the Pillbox raid, and that her presence was required. Heading in, Claire's stress was through the roof, and she dreaded every moment that was to come. Arriving at the courthouse, Claire paced outside briefly before being called in to give her testimony. Nearly delirious from lack of sleep, Claire did her best to answer the questions the tribunal had and explain her actions that day in Pillbox. The atmosphere in the courthouse was tense and foreboding, and Claire expected the worst, probably to be fired. After taking testimony from Elsa, Claire, and Hiker, the tribunal convened behind closed doors to determine the punishments. What felt like an eternity passed as the tribunal decided her punishment, but eventually the door to the side chambers opened, the abrupt sound shocking Claire out of her stupor. Colonel Case wasted no time, explaining the reasoning behind the judgement, that Claire had been negligent in her communications that day, and that her negligence led to a gunfight that ended in 4 deaths. For firing the warning shot, Gabe Hiker was fired and could not reapply to the PD for a month. For Claire's role as TAC team leader she was suspended for a month and would be allowed to return to duty at a reduced rank of Master Trooper after such time. With the judgement passed, Claire murmured a barely audible acknowledgement, her voice breaking with emotion. The self doubt and guilt were magnified now, and Claire stood silently in the back of the courthouse as the tribunal finished. Once they were dismissed, Claire walked out of the courthouse without speaking to anyone, lost in her thoughts as she attempted to process everything that had happened to her in the past 48 hours. She went home to Lyric, to mourn, and to figure out how she would fill her time until she could return to duty on August 1st.

## Relationships

* Adoptive mother of Eddie Concord & Nyxeria Biscotti
* Lyric Loveless's girlfriend
* Godmother to Gabe Hiker
* BFFs with Mara Fox, Mia Bright, and Harold Schmitz
* Frenemies with Fingle Dan and Commander Chaos

## Trivia

* Claire saw Commander Chaos unmasked in her very first interaction with him, his real face under the iconic mask becoming familiar to her unlike many other members of the SASP. As such she sees through his unmasked disguises, however she generally lets him get away with the bit for the fun of it.
* Claire was once K9 Handler for Poncho, going on numerous ride-alongs together and catching many criminals with the famous police dog at her side.
* Was once stabbed by Jimmy "Nero" Malding after she no-ballsed him. Claire would later escalate to no-ballsing him to shoot her, leading to Jimmy shooting at her patrol car more than once.
* Claire's nickname "Sgt. Tits" was coined by biker & bank robber Charlie Cooper while at a bank robbery call Claire had responded to. Charlie continued her flirtations in future interactions with Claire, but nothing came of it.
* One of Claire's most infamous bits is the fake-out release, which she calls "The Claire." When she's processing a 95 and negotiating their sentence, Claire likes to pretend to have a change of heart about their sentence and says "You know what, you're free to go..." and then let them out of their cell. Once they've taken a few steps towards freedom, Claire immediately shouts "...STRAIGHT TO BOLINGBROKE PENITENTIARY!" before then sending them.
* Claire is one of Fingle Dan's favorite troopers to be chased by, sometimes heard saying "Where's Claire?" and "I wish Claire was here" when she isn't around to respond to his crimes.
* Claire Everly is one of the original Bunny Cops, being inspired by Trooper Eevee Knox after a flirty text from Eevee with a picture of herself in the Bunny Cop outfit. She was regularly referred to as "Judy Hopps" or "Sgt. Hopps" while dressed up.
* Claire is often confused with other white-haired members of the city, including Molly Rollin (who is sometimes called Criminal Claire) and Nicholine Quinn (a fellow trooper and Bunny Cop).
* Utilized a blue wig and yellow headband to disguise herself as Taylor "Ninjette" Blevins in order to escape the horniness of Sage "Bitter" de Medici, leading to a long-running gag that has become one of Claire's favorites.
* Participated in the Vanilla Unicorn's charity "PD Night" with other troopers (including bff Mara Fox) and dressed up as a sexy schoolgirl, doing D&D-themed bits with patrons that night. Many dice were rolled and character sheets filled out, and at the end of the night Claire turned in over $10k to Anya.
* Was bullied in highschool by popular girl Sarah Fortune, who ended up transferring into the SASP during Claire's suspension in July 2020, sticking around for a short time as a Sergeant in the Homicide division before transferring out after Claire's reinstatement.

## Quotes

* "Put your pepehands up!"
* "Helloooooo!"
* "What up, pimps?"
* "I'm gonna break my boot off in your ass, Fingle!!"
* "Why are you the way you are?"

## Moments

### Clips

* CC's first apology to Claire
* A Wild Jimmy Appears
* Claire discovers Mara's BACKstory
* Chaos sings Backstreet Boys Pt. 1
* Chaos sings Backstreet Boys Pt. 2
* Claire & Poncho Dance Time
* "Jerry, stop running!"
* Claire Dodges Xander
* Wacky waves interrupt a 10-80
* Love you, bitch!
* The Double Snort
* Positive Vibes!
* Claire and Mara go for a swim
* Roast Duck
* Claire meets some icons
* Ninjette dodges Fingle
* Col. Case gets impatient (bonus Rice Krispies in the background)

## Gallery

An apology note written by Commander Chaos and given to Claire on their first meetingAlison Stat, friend of Claire & PB Doctor, visits an unconscious Claire after she was nearly killed by Commander ChaosClaire dries off while her BFF Mara sulks in her cruiser after yeeting it into the waterClaire gets caught up in hijinks between Aunt Meta, Fingle Dan, and the GIAClaire is serenaded by a drunk Commander Chaos while Fingle cringes in the next cellClaire's business casual outfit, one of her faves