Obsidian Detective

by Michael Anderle

  Erik whistled as he pushed open the door and let it swing closed behind him.

  Erik lay on the bed in his apartment, staring at the ceiling in the dark. He allowed the occasional honk of a vehicle horn to filter through his ears. The marketing scenes, some of them fifteen stories tall, kept trying to pull his attention.

  He activated full tint on his windows. Even at night, the bright lights of the towers challenged his ability to sleep—not that his mind would have let him find it anyway.

  Sleep could be elusive at the best of times when the music you listen to is explosions and people screaming.

  Mysteries annoyed him, especially mysteries with too many pat answers. Terrorists hadn’t killed his men, and there was no way Winthorpe conveniently killed himself.

  “Detective,” Emma called from the PNIU lying on the small nightstand to the side of his bed.

  “What?” Erik grumbled. “Can’t a man brood in peace?”

  “I was taking the liberty of prefiltering some of your messages,” she explained.

  Erik frowned and sat up, rolling to his side with his arm underneath to prop him up. He reached for his PNIU. “I didn’t ask you to do that.”

  “I’m trying to be helpful, and it aids me in learning more about you, which is useful since we’re spending more time together.”

  “You sound like a date.”

  “You aren’t my type,” she quipped.

  “And what did you learn?”

  “You’re surprisingly boring.” Emma let out a quiet laugh. “Or should I say, it’s almost like you barely exist anymore. No one of importance seems to be sending you any messages, other than your partner and Malcolm. How can a man have no friends?”

  “We all can’t be social butterflies,” Erik muttered. “What do you know about it? You’re an AI. A strange one, but still an AI.”

  “I thought you’d be interested in a message from one Nigel Anders,” Emma explained. “He sent an encrypted message with a note explaining, and I quote, ‘I wasn’t totally honest with you, but I needed to be sure I was safe first. I had a little more left over than I let on, so you might find this helpful.’ I decrypted the message, and as best I can tell, it’s Hermes Corporation tracking codes for a message routed from Neo Southern California to Xingguang Mining Site A on Molino in Mu Arae. The actual messages weren’t attached. I don’t know what use the tracking codes would be, but this Nigel Anders obviously seems to think they are important.”

  Erik rolled out of bed. “What?”

  “Is that something interesting?” Emma asked, a coy tone underlying her words.

  “Don’t read my messages without my permission again,” Erik told her.

  “Keep me entertained enough, and I won’t.”

  Erik took several deep breaths. He needed to follow this up.

  But with who?

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  The restaurant smelled nice, the quiet conversations amongst the patrons a low buzz to the ears.

  Jia finished swallowing a bite of her naan before smiling at Mei.

  Her sister had been watching her during the last few minutes of their lunch together with an odd expression, and Jia had reached her limit.

  They were supposed to be getting together for a nice meal at an Indian place that had just opened on one of the more popular food platforms in that part of the metroplex.

  The outer seating of the restaurant was positioned near the edge of a platform that provided a lovely view of the Hexagon, which was comprised of six of the tallest towers in Neo SoCal, each owned by a different corporation, including the powerful Ceres Galactic and Hermes Corporation.

  “Is there something on my face?” she asked, reaching for a napkin.

  Mei shook her head. “Nothing like that. It’s just…” She sighed, looking off into the distance before focusing on Jia again. “It’s nothing. I should have done a better job of controlling my emotions.”

  “It’s obviously something important.” Jia cleaned her fingers. “You’re not still convinced I’ve crippled my future because I blew Warren off, are you? I’m not saying he was a horrible man. He’s just not the type of man I could see myself spending my future with. I’m also not saying I won’t go out on another date, but let’s wait a while.”

  “It’s nothing like that. I’d forgotten about Warren, actually.” Mei threaded her fingers together and rested her elbows on the table.

  She set her chin on her hands and stared at Jia. “I always hoped someday to see your name in the news, but I just never expected your name to be involved in this whole sordid affair. ‘Detective Lin takes down Councilman Winthorpe.’ I know there’s more to it. The news keeps mentioning that the councilman was involved in smuggling and attempted murder, among other things, but they don’t make it clear what he was smuggling. It makes me worry about everything you’ve gotten yourself caught up in.”

  “I can’t really discuss the details of the case other than what has been released.” Jia paused her assault on her egg biryani to frown.

  She set her fork down and looked at Mei. “Are you upset that I’m involved with this case? I would have thought you would have appreciated me helping track down and eliminate criminals who threaten to undermine society. I wish Winthorpe could have been brought to justice rather than escaping it, but I suppose such an ignominious ending isn’t unexpected for a man who abused his position like that, and I won’t apologize for my role in any of it.”

  Mei eyed her. “Don’t be so prickly, little sister. I’m proud of you in my own way. I’d prefer if you were not a police officer, but if you’re going to be a police officer, you might as well be one who is skilled enough to help take down a councilman.”

  Jia eyed her, lips opened to speak, but she was caught with nothing to say.

  Mei laughed. “I think Mother and Father are still trying to decide how to react to the whole thing.” She leaned forward to whisper, glancing at the nearby tables before speaking. “To be honest, they were thinking of supporting him in the next election. It just goes to show, you can’t be sure about anyone. It’s only fortunate they didn’t vote for him in the last cycle. I can only imagine that every associate of Councilman Winthorpe will be under close examination now, and I’m sure you’ll find a few more questionable links in your further investigations.”

  Jia shrugged. She turned her head to watch the traffic flowing between the Hexagon buildings. “To be honest, I still don’t know what to make of all of it. I always wanted to make a difference, but I never…” She looked at Mei again. “I always believed in hints of darkness on Earth. It’s not like I believed there was no crime here. There wouldn’t be police otherwise. But I never suspected something like this happening at this scale, especially in Neo SoCal. In a way, it’s worse than the frontier. At least the insurrectionists have something other than simple greed motivating them.”

  Mei pondered that for a moment, slight distress on her face. “I don’t know. I can’t say that I find it unbelievable, even though I find it shocking. But I’ve always found it convenient to not worry about areas of my life that don’t influence work.”

  They sat in silence for a moment.

  Mei continued, “The Shadow Zone, smugglers, gangsters?” She shook her head. “It might as well be a net drama for all the impact it has on my day-to-day life. Even though you’ve done well, you were not meant for that kind of life. You weren’t meant to associate with dangerous people. That’s one of the reasons it’s troubling you, I suspect.”

  “I’m a detective,” Jia countered. “I can’t say I ever thought I’d end up fighting spider bots in a councilman’s mansion, but danger is implicit in being a member of law enforcement.”

  Mei reached over to take her sister’s hand in hers. “That’s just it, Jia. You’re a daughter of the Lin family. You’re not meant to be shot at. You’re also not meant to shoot people. And don’t you understand how fortunate you’ve been? You could have been killed in one of those encounters. Doesn’t that
change your mind about any of this?”

  She pulled her hand back. “You downplayed what happened when you told me about it. Once I started reading the news stories, I was shocked. As were Father and Mother.”

  “Not that they would bother to tell me.”

  Mei shrugged. “They’re busy, and they know we lunch together. You know how much they dislike communicating via PNIU. I sometimes think Mother would have been happier if she had been born a few centuries earlier, even with all the barbarism and running around on the ground they did at the time.”

  “Maybe.” Jia shrugged. Her parents had talked to her increasingly less often since she’d joined the department. She suspected that if she quit, they would find the time to talk to her. “But we’re getting off-topic. I was so naïve before. I see that now.”

  Mei nodded slowly.

  Jia smelled a delicious lamb dish, and it took effort not to turn around and inhale deeply. She continued after a moment. “And now that I understand the truth, I don’t think personal danger changes my decision. It only makes me care more about doing my job. I also understand the metroplex is not so easily divided into criminals and the law-abiding, that there are far more shades of gray than I’m comfortable with. I can’t say I enjoy accepting that truth, but turning away doesn’t make it any less the truth.”

  Mei picked up her teacup and took a sip. “You have always somehow managed to believe the best of the world, while simultaneously being fearful of the worst. I’m not going to pretend I could have imagined a councilman would be in league with Shadow Zone criminals, but I always did feel you were a bit too optimistic about society. In the corporate world, things are cutthroat, and that’s left me less appreciative of the potential good in people than you. Then again, I suppose that’s all changed now. Not just for you, but for a lot of us.”

  “I was wrong about Earth being perfect, and I accept that now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t strive for something better. In the end, a lot of imperfect people came together to help us do our part to stop the deep corruption that threatened Neo SoCal.” Jia tapped her finger softly on the table. “Including my new partner. I was dismissive of him at the beginning, but he really is a good cop in every way that matters. Brave, intelligent, and analytical.”

  “The former soldier, right?” Mei frowned. “No wonder so much shooting has been going on. And I’m still dubious of this Obsidian Detective Act.”

  “I became a detective through a similar program,” Jia countered.

  “Yes, a special selective program.” Mei shook her head. “I just don’t know if I like the idea of a man who has gotten used to being violent being brought back here to help deal with crime. His instincts are off. His habits are set.”

  Jia couldn’t help herself. She laughed loudly, and several people at nearby tables glanced at her, frowning.

  Mei’s cheeks reddened as she saw the heads turn back to their own conversations. “What’s so funny?”

  “Habit,” Jia explained. Her eyes noted those who had turned, but she could not have cared less. “My partner mentioned habit as well in regard to another man we were discussing. I just thought it was amusing that you sounded like him for a moment, given that you don’t seem to care for him.”

  “I don’t know him enough to care or not care about him. I worry about him putting you in danger, Jia. I don’t think that’s such a terrible or mean-spirited thing to do.”

  “I’m not saying it is.” Jia sipped her tea, trying to change the tone of the conversation. “And I appreciate your concern. I can’t say I like everything about what he’s done, but without him, I don’t know if we would have tracked down the gangster and the corrupt congressman.”

  Jia retrieved her fork. “Erik’s a strange and intense man, but I’ve been doing some checking on my own, and I think I’m beginning to understand him. I’ve misinterpreted some of his actions in light of his background.”

  “Oh?” Mei raised a dark eyebrow. “That sounds ominous.”

  Jia took a bite of her biryani. “It’s not been mentioned much in the news reports about him, other than to note he’s a decorated soldier, but his final mission involved his unit being all but wiped out on a border world. He was in that system because they were worried about the Zitarks attacking, Mu Arae.”

  Mei eyed her. “Wait, are you saying the Zitarks did it? I hadn’t heard anything about them doing anything like that.”

  “No, it was terrorists. They infiltrated the colony, according to the articles I’ve read. Because it was small, and they were taking down the forces on sight, the terrorists were able to sneak bombs into a mine there and lure the soldiers in.”

  “How awful.” Mei grimaced. “I suppose that puts corrupt councilmen in perspective. At least we don’t have terrorists running around blowing up buildings.”

  For the first time in her life, Jia doubted that.

  With all the attempted cover-ups she’d run into over the last few weeks, both officially and unofficially, she couldn’t help but question everything. An industrial accident would be a convenient story to cover a terrorist bombing.

  “How does knowing his unit died change things?” Mei asked.

  “A lot of things make sense about him now.” Jia pondered many of the conversations she’d shared with Erik. “I was arrogant and myopic before. I believed he was just interested in acting like a soldier by going in and blasting things apart and always seeing a problem where his big gun was the solution. I thought my view of justice was the only right one, but I realize he’s seen the darkness I’m only beginning to glimpse, and that’s why he’s as focused on fighting it as I am. Perhaps even more so. It’s also strange…when I’m with him, I’m terrified and exhilarated at the same time. I feel like I can do things I never imagined.”

  Suspicion clouded Mei’s eyes. “Do you now? Such as what?”

  Jia nodded, her tone lightening. “I hadn’t even fired my stun pistol at a suspect before a few weeks ago, and now I’m comfortable fighting my way out of a criminal-infested warehouse. All those years of command just ooze out of him. I feel like I know exactly what I need to do just by being around him.”

  “Are you falling for him?”

  “No.”

  “Then what,” Mei waved a Jia, “is this part about command oozing out of him. Sounds like it might be attraction.”

  “Not everything is about a relationship, Mei. He was a major, so he has trained soldiers. We were in a gunfight. You instinctively follow good leaders. Stop thinking about romance.” Jia eyed her, one eyebrow raised. “Or are you in a relationship at work, and now that is the filter you see everything through?”

  Mei frowned. “This man sounds dangerous. Very dangerous. He might be a trained soldier, but you don’t have to join him in a death wish. I feel sorry for what happened to him, and I pity him, but it’s not your responsibility.

  Jia blinked. “Deathwish? What are you talking about? He doesn’t have a deathwish. Yes, he’s been in fights, but it’s not like he risks his life unnecessarily. He can be…bold, perhaps, but that’s just part of bravery.”

  Mei flicked her wrist dismissively. “You said it yourself, little sister. He’s a survivor of a horrible incident. He likely has survivor’s guilt. I’ve read all about it. It’s common with many veterans who have served on the frontier and go through that sort of thing. He’s probably been throwing himself into these dangerous situations because he wants to live up to the memory of all the other soldiers who died on Mu Arae.”

  “It’s not like…” Jia paused. “He’s not an out-of-control maniac. I mean…”

  She rubbed the back of her neck, desperately trying to think of a way to explain it that didn’t make Erik seem so dangerous. “He’s a direct sort of person, and sometimes criminals can’t be handled in a diplomatic manner. Sometimes you have to meet force with force. Not to mention, desperate people can do awful things.”

  Mei scoffed. “Listen to yourself, Jia. This man has got you so twisted, I don’t kno
w if I’m talking to my sister. I’m not saying he’s a bad person. I’m just saying he potentially has issues, and you should be cautious and try not to get caught up with them. Tell me something, has he talked about his family? His friends? A lover? Anything like that? What does he like to do during his time off?”

  Jia furrowed her brow, trying to remember if Erik had mentioned anything like that. She shook her head. “No, he hasn’t, but he’s a private man. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  “A private man. Uh-huh.” Mei rolled her eyes and shook her head as she stabbed a portion of her meal. “He’s a private man because there’s nothing left.”

  “That’s not fair. It’s not like I’ve spent a huge amount of time telling him about my friends or my family.”

  Mei threw up her hand to cut off her sister. “Again, I’m not questioning his honor. He helped you take down criminals and antisocials, so at least his efforts are being spent in the right place. All I’m telling you is that you need to be careful around him. You’ve been complaining about partners not helping you for a year, and now that you have one who is as enthusiastic as you, if not more so, you might be letting your guard down a little.” She turned away for a moment, a pensive look on her face. “Besides, he’s just a symptom.”

  “Of what?” Jia asked.

  “Of corruption, and how vulnerable any of us can be to it.” Mei gestured at the Hexagon. “This entire metroplex is a symbol of cooperation after darkness, but that doesn’t mean the darkness ever truly goes away. I think the best way to deal with it is to not look at it, so you don’t have to acknowledge it exists. That way, it won’t tempt you, and it could, in so many ways. Think about that.”

  Jia frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  Mei eyed her. “The longer you stay a police officer, the more you will be forced to look right into the abyss.” Mei offered her a sardonic smile. “Remember your Nietzsche? I assume so, since you had that whole phase where all you would do is spout out inane comments with no context whatsoever.”