Hero Unit
Page 6
Ace closed her mouth around her reply. Maniac was right. No one needed another incident like that.
“I’ll talk to Torment about it. See what she thinks,” Ace agreed.
Good idea.
Maniac stood with a nod. “Good. You’re a good cop, Ace, and I’d hate you lose you as my partner.”
“Thanks Maniac,” Ace said. And she meant it. With her feeling like she’d never fit in it was nice to hear that more than just Torment wanted her in their unit.
It was over half an hour before Torment and Emily left the Captain’s office. Captain Angel did not look pleased as he started down the aisle towards Left Hook’s desk. Ace already had an incident report written up and was waiting to talk to Torment before sending it. “Send it,” Torment said once she was sitting next to Ace’s desk.
She hit the send button and then breathed a sigh of relief. “Left Hook crossed a line with those comments. As of today he’s on administrative leave,” Torment explained.
They heard Left Hook starting to shout. The first words out of his mouth were not the smartest things he could have said, given the situation. “I’ll kill that bitch!”
Ace knew he didn’t really mean it, but even idle threats against officers were taken seriously. There were more shouts, some incoherent. It was a mess and she almost regretted her part in it. “You did the right thing,” Torment said.
Left Hook was escorted out by two Fortress Class and Captain Angel. Ace didn’t bother watching. She already knew Left Hook was going to blame it all on her. That was the way bullies were. They blamed the victims when they got caught. He would retaliate the only way he knew how, once he had the chance.
“If he does then we will fire him. That just makes him a Reg and not a very marketable one. No one wants to take someone who was fired from the E.E.D,” Torment stated.
“No one but the HSO,” Ace corrected her. They all had to remember that now. The HSO was a threat. It was time for the E.E.D to face the fact that there was a rival organization that wanted the exact opposite of everything the E.E.D stood for.
“There is that. We will have Left Hook under surveillance. Now would be the best time to try and recruit him,” Torment agreed.
“I don’t think you need to worry about him. Left Hook is very much a bully, but his loyalty to the E.E.D is stronger than you think. He sees this as a just punishment for what he’s done,” Emily said. They had both forgot she was sitting at Ace’s desk. She blushed at their looks of surprise and said, “I couldn’t help it. It was like he was shouting his thoughts into my head. Being around Ace gives me a lot of control, but when someone is in that strong of a mental state there’s nothing I can do.”
“Well hopefully that will help with the questioning of the suspects. We should probably be getting to that. Do you need Ace there?” Torment asked.
Emily shook her head. “My control is getting better. The longer I’m around Ace the better it gets and the farther away I can be and still maintain that control. I’ll let you know if I need her there at any time.”
“Very good. Ace, keep your line open,” Torment said. She and Emily both stood and left. Captain Angel came over not long after their departure. “I take it this isn’t the first time Left Hook has done something like this,” he said.
He’s really not happy.
“No sir,” Ace replied.
“What made you report him this time?” the Captain asked.
“Maniac made a good point,” Ace said.
“What was that?”
“That having another incident like Detroit would be bad for the E.E.D. and my career,” Ace replied.
That’s an understatement.
He grunted. “I think it would be best if all of our people were reminded of that, just in case some of Left Hook’s buddies decide to get a little payback.”
“Whatever you think is best sir,” Ace replied.
He turned to leave and then paused. “How’d the military handle it when people there tried to bully you?” he asked.
Ace really didn’t want to answer that question, but then again she didn’t want to have to put up with petty bullies either.
Just tell him.
“My sergeant had each and every squad face off against me in a drill. I was supposed to act as the ‘enemy’. Their job was to subdue me via any means possible. They were armed for actual combat and we were put into a training facility. My job was to not kill them. It was simple, all they had to do was shoot me once.”
“How many squads failed?” Captain Angel asked. If what Emily said about her was true, he was probably able to see what had happened from Ace’s memories.
“Enough,” Ace replied.
Every last one of them.
“Until they got the point.”
Ace nodded. Not a one of them had been able to complete the mission. It had stopped the bullying, but it had isolated her from the rest of the troops. None of them felt comfortable around her after that. And news of it spread down into the regular army, and up to the top brass. Her sergeant had meant well. He had been trying to prove a point and he’d done so, but it had only caused her more grief.
“I don’t think I will be trying that,” the Captain said and walked away.
That’s probably for the best.
Ace went back to her paperwork. She found herself hoping that she would get a chance to go on patrol with one of the other normal officers. It happened on occasion. Heroes and patrol cops would team up for a day, especially if things had been slow for either department. It was unlikely with two Anti cases in as many days, but she still found herself hoping. She needed to get out of the office.
“Ace,” she flinched at the sound of the voice that called her name. It was Einstein. “Have you had a chance to fire the prototype?” Einstein was a very average fellow, a shade under six feet and somewhere around a hundred and eighty pounds. Unlike the stereotypical scientist or researcher he was always well groomed and he had a fair bit of common sense.
“Not yet. None of the cases we’ve had recently have necessitated my use of firearms,” Ace replied.
“I thought as much,” he didn’t sit when he got to her desk. Einstein rarely sat down. He was constantly in motion. “That’s why I’ve been upgrading the shielding around the firing range. I’ve been working on incorporating a kinetic nullifying effect, like your own powers generate. It hasn’t exactly been easy. I would like your help with some tests if you have the time.”
You knew that was coming.
Ace looked at her now empty inbox and sighed. “Sure,” she agreed.
Chapter 9
“Okay so I’ve got the new shields up and activated. First we’ll try out the assault rifle prototype,” Einstein’s voice came over the intercom. Ace nodded and lifted the rifle, put her sights down range and fired off a single shot. The report was louder than it should have been and the bullet smashed into the kinetic barrier at a much higher velocity than Ace thought possible.
“You up the power on these rounds?” she asked. Standard issue E.E.D rounds did not have that kind of velocity.
“Sorry. I forgot to mention I’m also having you test out some new rounds. They aren’t for the police. One of my military friends asked for them. I thought this would be a good chance to see what they could do. Do you think the recoil will prove problematic?” Einstein replied.
Thanks for the warning! I swear he does that on purpose.
“I can’t really give good feedback on recoil Einstein, you know that,” Ace replied. Recoil had never been a factor for her. Her ability to nullify kinetic energy combined with her strength made a good recoil test impossible.
“Right, right, sorry. Could you give me a burst next?”
Ace flipped the selector switch and fired off a burst. Again the bullets slammed into the kinetic shielding with little effect on it. “Good, now if you could go to full auto. If you see any fluctuations in the field cease fire, otherwise empty the clip,” Einstein said over the com.
That’s pretty impressive.
“I think you might have it with this one,” Ace said looking the weapon over for any minute stress fractures or damage. She didn’t see any and gave a thumbs up to the observation booth.
“Good. Now I want to see if I have the shielding strong enough to stop that monster of a gun we took from Technosis,” Einstein said.
This was what Ace was dreading. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” she asked. She remembered all too well what had happened the last time the hybrid weapon had been fired.
He can’t be sure, you’re the only person that would know
“I’ve got all the blast shields in place behind the shielding. In order to help protect people from that thing I need to see it in action,” Einstein replied.
Suppressing a sigh Ace picked up the hybrid. It was meant to be fired from the hip. She braced it and said, “Fire in the hole!” She pulled the trigger.
Damn, I hate that thing.
The gun went off and Einstein swore. Ace watched a spider web of energy crackle up the kinetic barrier from the impact point. She put the hybrid back down on its stand and made her way down range to see the damage. “The shield stopped it, but…” Einstein trailed off.
Ace flipped on her device’s camera and recorded what she saw. The kinetic shield looked like a cracked windshield, but the round had stopped. It was on the floor. Ace recorded it all and then picked up the flattened round. She didn’t know what it was made of, but she imagined Einstein would want it. She sent the video to Einstein and walked back to the shooter’s end of the range.
“Ace, if I thought you could truly appreciate these readings I’d ask you to come up and take a look. I don’t know who, or what, built that thing but I’m damn glad you are the one using it,” Einstein said.
Ace wasn’t insulted by Einstein’s assumption that she wouldn’t appreciate the readings. It was true, she probably wouldn’t. Understanding weapons was one thing, grasping all the science behind something like they hybrid was an entirely different level. All that mattered to her was making sure that they had a way of defending against such a weapon. “Einstein, you might want to look into a self-replicating shield. I think one of the Regs we rescued from Technosis might be able to help,” Ace said remembering the night they’d found the hybrid weapon.
I didn’t think you’d noticed that.
“That is an excellent idea,” Einstein said. There was a pause and then he said, “That’s all for today. Both of these will be under your name for now on. Now that I have a working alloy for you I’ll also be putting together a sidearm for you. You’d prefer a nine, right?”
Ace responded affirmatively. The .9 mm was a family tradition. “I’ll have it ready in a couple of days. This alloy is a little tricky to work with.”
Never heard him call something tricky. Kind of makes you wonder.
Ace waved a hand in thanks and then left the firing range. The tests hadn’t taken nearly as much time as she’d been hoping, or maybe dreading, but at least a good part of her shift was done.
Back at her desk she did mindless tasks, just trying to keep from going crazy from boredom. They were in a holding pattern, just waiting for another incident. Word had spread quickly through the Heroes about the HSO. It was like they were all holding their breath. Everyone was on edge, tense for that call that would send them out against another group of crazed Antis.
That was what made the waiting worse than normal; two Antis in a row driven over the edge by the HSO. Then to make matters more complicated the second had been given followers to use. Before, when the HSO had just been a rumor some of the Heroes had sympathized with their ideals on some level.
Even Ace felt that it would be better if people like Angel and Torment were the ones in charge, but that illusion had been shattered after finding out what had been done to Technosis and the other technomancer she’d brought in. If the HSO was willing to experiment on Exceptionals then they were no better than every other criminal out there.
“Hey rookie, you willing to go a few rounds?” Ace looked up to see Bulldog leaning over her desk.
Bulldog was the senior most Fortress Class in their precinct. He was a good natured guy, never letting the younger officers get under his skin. He also never let it bother him that a woman a third of his size was more than his equal. Ace nodded. She knew that Bulldog was tough enough to spar with her without undue risk of injury. She would just have to be careful.
They went to the training room and after a quick warm up went at it. Bulldog was a dirty fighter, but Ace was prepared for that. Her years in the military had taught her to be just as dirty. Even with his tricks Bulldog wouldn’t have been much of a challenge for her. He wasn’t nearly as strong as Tomahawk, but he was unrelenting.
Ace wasn’t sure how long they’d been working out when the Captain showed up and said, “Bulldog, we need you upstairs. Your team just got a call.”
The huge Exceptional nodded and left. Still feeling too pent up Ace went to her heavy bag. Again it was a special piece that Einstein had come up with. She had no idea what it was made out of, but it absorbed a good portion of her force when she hit it, so it lasted fairly well, even when she was worked up; this was only her second one that month.
As she worked she realized the Captain was still there. “You need me for something Captain?” she asked, not letting up on her workout.
“We might have some answers, but it’s going to take time to figure things out. I’m going to need you to escort Ms. Carpenter as she goes and questions people,” replied.
She didn’t like the sound of that at all. “She was put in my house so I could keep an eye on her in the safest place in the city. Wouldn’t it be better to bring the people here?”
“We can’t afford to. There is a high level of paranoia in the Exceptionals community. The Regs are all nervous, tense. Some jackass over at the Times got wind of the HSO angle and printed a BS story. If we start bringing them in word will spread and so will the paranoia. We have to go to them. I don’t like it any more than you do. It puts you and her in a dangerous position, but we have to get this information,” he said. Ace could see the frustration on his face.
“When do we start?” she asked.
“On your way home. There are a few that live close to you. Ms. Carpenter has picked who she will speak with first,” the Captain said.
Ace nodded and kept at the bag. It baffled people that she worked out as often and as hard as she did. “You have powers, why do you need to work out?” they always asked. She didn’t have a good explanation for it. Her body and mind needed it, so she did it. It was just another thing that people, Exceptionals and normals, couldn't understand about her.
After another hour of training Ace showered and went back to her desk. Emily was waiting for her. “Feel better?” she asked as Ace sat down.
“Not really, but I don’t think there’s much that will help right now,” Ace replied as she glanced at her still empty inbox.
Nothing short of the end of the HSO.
“If you're feeling up to it the Captain and Torment have given us leave to start early with our questioning,” Emily said. “There are quite a few names. We’ve divided them up between the three of us.”
Ace agreed to leave, just to get out of the tension in the office. She wasn’t sure how some of the others were able to handle it so calmly. She and Emily went to the parking garage where Ace’s truck was parked. It gave her a perverse sense of pleasure to drive a huge vehicle like her truck. It was heavily modified and given as much security as her house, again thanks to the Eastern European League.
The fir
st address that Emily read off was just down the street from Ace’s home. It was a nice house with a well-manicured lawn. It screamed suburban security and prosperity.
They went to the door side-by-side. Ace was in her uniform and Emily was sporting a badge that identified her as a NDPD consultant. They only waited a few minutes after ringing the bell before a woman answered the door.
“Yes?” she asked. Her voice was the type that made you feel warm inside. She had the kind of build that spoke of years of comfort. In one arm was an infant that she was gently rocking. The motion seemed completely unconscious on her part.
“Mrs. Holander?” Emily asked.
“Yes, what I can I do for you?” the woman replied.
“We are from the E.E.D. We were wondering if we could talk to your husband for a few minutes,” Emily continued. She was wearing a polite smile and her voice was calm and reassuring.
She’s a PR rep, what would you expect?
“Of course,” Mrs. Holander allowed them in and said, “Wait here I’ll go and tell him you’re here.”
“Thank you,” Emily said, still smiling. They were left in a well-lit foyer. The décor was simple and clean.
“Do you know this guy?” Ace asked quietly. She kept her eyes moving.
Emily shook her head. “He works in the law firm on the floor below my company.”
Ace didn’t like the idea of dealing with a lawyer, especially a Reg lawyer, but she was just here as backup. Emily would be doing all the talking. A few minutes of waiting and Mr. Holander joined them in the entryway. “Can I help you?” he asked.
Right out the gate Mr. Holander put Ace at ease. She just wanted to trust him. That should have put her on her guard. She had no idea what his power was, having never consulted the Reg database, but she liked to think that Emily would have warned her if this guy was a potential problem. “Yes Mr. Holander we are here to ask you a few questions about the recent incident at the building where your firm is located,” Emily said.