Obsidian Detective

by Michael Anderle

  “Maybe they’re security?” Jia suggested.

  “Why wouldn’t they be using transponder signals?” Erik frowned. “Are they doing anything, Emma?”

  “No, the vehicles are simply waiting, and no one has emerged,” she reported. “I don’t see any other nearby vehicles making their way here on the lidar.”

  Erik jogged away from the elevator. “Then let’s go say hello. I don’t like the idea of dealing with them in this maze, whoever they are. I’m guessing they have a better understanding of this place than we do.”

  Jia hurried after him, her heart racing. If the owners had left the building unsecured but still maintained alarm system, that might explain it. Private security would be first responders, and this didn’t have to end badly.

  She glanced at the TR-7. The rifle might escalate the situation unnecessarily, but it wasn’t like Erik would agree to drop it just because she asked.

  A distant gunshot echoed down the hallway.

  “What the hell was that?” Erik barked, flipping off the safety on his gun.

  “I decided to perform a little test,” Emma explained, sounding far too satisfied with herself. “I changed my holographic form so I looked like you, Detective, then exited the vehicle. One of the flitters lowered a window, and someone shot at me from inside. I’m now pretending to be your dead body, but they just rolled up their window. They’re maintaining position.”

  “Did you get a good view of them on any of the cameras?” Erik asked.

  “The assailant seems to be using some sort of optical scrambling camouflage. Their face is blurred.”

  “Assassin tech? Yeah, that’s enough to make me think they’re not friendly neighborhood security guards.” Erik picked up the pace and glanced over his shoulder at Jia. “Is attempted murder enough to make you comfortable with us poking around here?”

  “Yes,” Jia nodded. “Who are these people? Why are you investigating them?”

  Erik grunted and looked back to the front. “If I knew who they were, I wouldn’t be investigating them, I’d be taking them down already.” He threw up a fist and skidded to a halt. “I’ll let you know soon, but for now, we need to stop them from getting away. Anyone who is willing to kill me probably has information I need.”

  Jia almost stumbled when she stopped. They were approaching the main hallway leading back to the entrance.

  “What’s wrong?” Jia whispered.

  Erik put his finger to his lips and pointed to his ears.

  Jia held her breath and listened. A light hum sounded from around the corner. It didn’t sound close, and it didn’t sound natural.

  “Do you have any internal camera access, Emma?” Erik whispered.

  “Not currently. I’m trying to pull data directly from the systems. The encryption is unexpectedly strong, and I’m having trouble streaming the data. I’m batching it via the transmitter, but it’s going slower than you would probably like. Anti-intrusion measures have intensified.”

  Erik wanted to scratch his head. “Why does an abandoned building have a system secure enough to challenge an experimental AI?” He crept to the intersection, his back against the wall. He peeked around the corner and yanked his head back. Several bullets flew down the hallway, several bounced with a spark off the reinforced corner.

  “Yeah, totally not suspicious.”

  Jia raised her stun pistol before lowering it.

  “Three security bots,” Erik explained, shaking his head. “Floaters. Lethal security bots to patrol an abandoned building that’s being remodeled?” He flipped his gun to four-barrel mode. “I’m going to turn the corner and take them out, then we’ll get out of here. Emma, you keep trying to pull data through that transmitter. We don’t know what other surprises they have.”

  Jia tilted her head and listened. “They don’t sound like they’re any closer.”

  Erik grunted. “Yeah, I think they’re just trying to hold position and pin us in here. They’re probably going to try to flank us with bots from the other side.”

  “What about the men in the front?” Jia asked, trying to concentrate on the situation at hand and ignore her racing heart.

  Erik offered a lopsided grin. “Even if they have an armored flitter, they have to open up to shoot, and I doubt they can take on my gun.”

  “Not to worry you too much,” Emma chimed in, “but your nice new sensors are detecting a major energy surge in the building.”

  “Meaning what?” Erik asked.

  “I don’t know. I don’t have enough data at this time to know, but I doubt it will be good for you.”

  “Concentrate on the data,” Erik replied. “And we’ll concentrate on getting us out of here. Let’s move, Jia.”

  He rushed around the corner, jinking to the side.

  His quick movement threw off the bots, who opened up on the corner, giving him a chance to take them down. He held down the trigger and the TR-7 roared to life, flinging a river of lead. He could only maintain the attack for a few seconds, but the three security bots, smoking and full of holes, dropped to the ground.

  He ejected the magazine and slapped in a new one. “I’m going to have to look into extended mags.”

  “The energy levels are increasing. There are now multiple types, including thermal,” Emma reported. “And the flitters are leaving.”

  Erik gritted his teeth, his eyes widening. “Move your butt, Jia!” He sprinted forward, his boots thumping heavily on the ground.

  She hurried after him. Her lungs strained as they ran down the long hallway. The two detectives barreled forward, their shoes’ staccato beats echoing down the hallway, but no new security bots appeared.

  “What’s…going…on?” Jia wheezed.

  “Just run,” Erik yelled. “Talk later!”

  The front door got closer.

  “Massive surges detected,” Emma reported, worry in her voice. “I’d suggest hurrying. Whatever’s going to happen is going to happen soon.”

  The front door was still open. Erik made it through and Jia wasn’t far behind, sweat pouring down her face.

  “Keep running,” Erik shouted. “Put distance between you and the building. It’s a self-destruct system.”

  “Self…destruct?” Jia puffed. “But…it’s just…”

  A bright flash lit the area. Erik tossed his gun down and tackled Jia, wrapping his arms around her. A massive fireball consumed the building and a shockwave slammed into the pair, launching them through the air. Erik hissed in pain as the heat and flame ate through his duster, vest, and shirt, scorching his back.

  They hit the ground and rolled several feet. Acrid smoke poured from the pile of scorched rubble that had been a building mere seconds before. Charred, burning debris rained from above, pelting Erik and Jia.

  Jia gasped. “Erik? Are you okay?”

  He groaned and scooted away from her, his teeth gritted. “I’ve been better, but I’ll live.” He shimmied out of the remnants of his coat, then stood up and stomped out the flames before they reached any of his spare magazines. “I’ll just need a few patches and I’ll be good. It’s just a flesh wound.”

  “What?”

  “Mostly surface burns,” he explained.

  Jia stood up, trembling slightly. She blinked at the rubble. She leaned over and sucked in deep breaths. “Who puts a self-destruct system in a building? Especially a building in a tower?”

  “Someone with something big to hide.” Erik stretched, rolling his back, and groaned. “As far as what we tell the captain, we were just following up on suspicious activity.” He sucked in some air. “I’ll bring you in on this soon, but I need some time to process everything.”

  Chapter Forty-One

  July 12, 2228, Neo Southern California Metroplex, Police Enforcement Zone 122 Station, Office of Captain Robert Monahan

  Erik already missed his duster.

  He had a spare at home, but he might need to buy a few more if he was going to make a habit of getting blown up or otherwise engul
fed in flames.

  He thought about explaining the thought to Captain Monahan, but his supervisor was stuck on the practical question of why the detectives had been at a building that blew up.

  Maybe I’ll buy an entire closet full of dusters, he mused.

  He had spent a few hours being checked at the hospital the night before and had then been sent home. The captain wanted a few other reports before talking with him, so they had waited until the following morning for the full debriefing.

  “Can you explain this to me one more time?” the captain asked. “I don’t understand why you were even at the abandoned building to begin with. From what you’ve said, it has nothing to do with the Winthorpe case.”

  “I had concerns about suspicious activity at the site, so I decided to check,” Erik offered. That wasn’t technically a lie. “Consider it cop’s instinct.”

  Captain Monahan eyed him. “You haven’t been a cop long enough to have cop’s instinct.”

  Erik shrugged. “Then consider it soldier’s instinct. I suspected something was wrong, and the fact that it exploded proves it. Not to mention the odd security.”

  He saw no reason to lie about being attacked. Erik’s personal investigation might benefit from some indirect police attention. Talent and bravery didn’t always substitute for basic resources.

  The captain looked at Erik and Jia, more exasperated than angry. “I don’t even think I want to know the truth at this point, but I’ll tell you what the fire department passed along to me.”

  Jia nodded. “I’m eager to hear their take.”

  “They’re saying it was some sort of power grid malfunction, most likely because of maintenance failure since the site hasn’t been in active use. The owners are reviewing off-site logs, but the local equipment wasn’t communicating properly out of building or off-tower.”

  “Isn’t that a safety violation for a building of that size?” Jia asked.

  “Probably.” The captain shrugged. “But we’re police, not safety inspectors. If it doesn’t pass into the realm of criminal negligence, it’s not our responsibility.”

  “It wasn’t a maintenance malfunction that caused security bots to shoot at me,” Erik countered. “And those bots had fresh power and ammo. Seems like they were better maintained than a lot of other things.”

  “We can’t independently verify the existence of the security bots, Detective,” the captain explained. “Or the mysterious flitters you claimed were there, which makes it difficult to push our limited resources at something like this.”

  Erik frowned. “What? You saying I’m lying?” He gestured at Jia. “And she’s lying, too?”

  “I’m saying you both survived an explosion. Perhaps you imagined some of the details in the heat of the moment. It happens to the best of us.”

  “If you say so,” Erik muttered.

  “I still don’t know why you were there since I don’t buy your story,” Captain Monahan explained. “But unless you’re willing to assure me this has something to do with the Winthorpe case, I don’t want either of you near it again. There are a huge number of questions about that explosion, and it’s a miracle the tower didn’t suffer more damage and that no one was hurt. We have more important matters to discuss than mysterious bots and power grid failures. It’s not as if accidents are unknown in the towers. Don’t want the fire department to get bored, right?” He tried to grin, but it came off forced and pained.

  “I don’t buy it.” Jia frowned. “That entire level had been vacant for a year. That’s unusual, especially in that part of the town.”

  “Yes, it is, but it’s not impossible.” The captain nodded. “And more to the point, it’s also not your problem, Detective Lin. If you’re suggesting arson as some sort of financial crime, let the fire department investigate it, along with the CID. It’s their purview, not ours. I’ve indulged both of you far too long on this nonsense that shouldn’t have ever arisen in the first place. Not every crime is this enforcement zone’s responsibility. You will stay away from the tower case until such time as I feel something relevant has arisen. Understood? We still need to make sure everything’s tied up on this Winthorpe thing. The chief is riding me hard about a lot of the details, and we need to make sure the 1-2-2 doesn’t come off looking bad in any of this.”

  Erik grunted. “We did all the hard work.”

  “I know, I know. But there’s reality and there’s perceived reality, and the point is, I want you to…” Captain Monahan took a deep breath. “You both need to seriously stay in your lane this time.”

  Jia frowned. “After everything that has happened, are we going back to the way the things were? Don’t you trust our instincts by now?”

  “We have limited resources and time.” Captain Monahan rolled his eyes. “So I’m just trying to only deal with one major problem at a time. If we end up overwhelmed, it won’t do anyone any good. You, me, or the citizens you’re trying to help. Understood?”

  Jia sighed. “Yes, sir.”

  Erik was grateful Jia waited until they got back to their office and he was seated to ambush him with her complaints.

  It was easier to handle her without Captain Monahan spinning her up with his political CYA garbage.

  “I don’t believe that was an accident,” Jia commented before her butt hit the chair. “That building has been sitting there for a year just fine, and we’re in it for a few minutes, and suddenly it’s exploding? You don’t have to be a crack investigator to find that suspicious.”

  “I’m not sure if the captain is running interference directly, or if it’s the fire department for their own reasons.” Erik shrugged. “I’m actually fine with him not wanting to look closer. It might help if he kept it low-level, but if it escalates too much, it ends up with more trouble. This is a case where the fewer people involved, the better, especially since I’m convinced powerful people have their fingers in this.”

  Jia folded her arms over her chest. “I deserve to know what’s going on if only because I was almost blown up last night helping you.”

  Erik shrugged. “I tried to warn you. That was what I warned you about. It’s a dangerous investigation.”

  “And I told you I had your back as your partner. It’s obvious this case has something to do with why you’re back on Earth. I suspect it’s why you came to Neo SoCal to begin with.”

  Erik kept the frown off his face.

  Jia narrowed her eyes. “You’re not going to be able to protect me from everything. If you’re wrapped up in something, the minute you joined the police and became my partner, you also made me a target. Keeping me ignorant just means I’ll end up more at risk. At least if I know what’s going on, I can try to protect myself.”

  “I’m not…wrapped up in anything. Not in the way you think.” Erik sighed. “You don’t know how deep this goes. Even I don’t. You’ve already made a lot of powerful enemies, but if I bring you in on this, you might make even worse ones. I hate to quote Monahan, but sometimes it is best to stay in your lane.”

  “I deserve to know.”

  “I don’t know if you’re ready. You’re still processing the fact that Neo SoCal isn’t paradise.” Erik moved his shoulders, the medpatches pulling at his skin. “It wasn’t that long ago you could barely believe in the possibility of corrupt councilmembers.”

  “Being stubborn about a worldview doesn’t make me closed-minded!” Jia argued. “The important thing is, I changed my mind when I was confronted with the truth. I know I still have a few things to work through, but I’m not the same woman you met outside the club, Erik.”

  Erik paused for a moment in thought, then glanced at her. “Ever try to tell a little kid that Generous Gao isn’t real?” Erik inquired.

  Jia snorted. “What does he have to do with this conversation?”

  Erik smiled. “Did you believe in him when you were a little kid? He wasn’t a thing in my family, but I knew plenty of kids who did.”

  She counted to ten in her mind, controlling he
r anger. “When I was very young, yes. It made perfect sense at the time. Who was bringing all the gifts for New Year’s otherwise? That’s what I thought, anyway. My sister tried to spoil it for me, but I didn’t believe her, so I ended up waiting and hiding, so I could take a picture of Generous Gao and prove her wrong. While I was waiting, I saw my father put the gifts in our living room, and I realized Generous Gao had never been real.” She shook her head. “But this isn’t the same thing. I’m not a little girl believing in a made-up character.”

  Defiance burned in her eyes.

  “But it is the same thing,” Erik replied. “Maybe working the Winthorpe case is like your sister telling you Generous Gao isn’t real, but I don’t know if you’re ready yet to hide and check. You still think the system’s good overall, and that’s why I worry.”

  Jia scoffed. “I’m going to stick my stun pistol up your high and mighty ass and pull the trigger, and I don’t know when or if I’m going to stop.”

  Erik smiled. “First comes the fantasy, then the willingness to do what it takes. That’s all I’m saying.”

  Jia shook in frustration. “You can be an annoying pain in the ass.”

  “I’m not the one threatening to give someone an electric enema.” Erik put up two fingers in a v. “That’s twice.”

  “Twice?”

  “You threatened to shoot me back in the Shadow Zone when we were pulling Emma out, too.”

  Jia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Fair point. Fine. I’ll wait, but I don’t know how much longer I can wait, especially if it involves exploding buildings.”

  He looked out the window for a moment. “I appreciate your trust, Jia. I won’t abuse it.”

  He turned back. “Once you know the truth, you’ll probably wish you had never pressed me for it.”

  Chapter Forty-Two