Brett brought the one video of the hundreds he had reviewed to full-screen on his desktop. He played the segment, which was less than thirty seconds long. It showed a man of average height and build walking up to the stadium gate with his head bowed. A large, red ‘B’ on the front of his baseball cap betrayed his team loyalties. A wearable computer pad was strapped to his left arm. As he went through the gate, he pulled a card from his pocket and then walked through the turnstile. As he exited the field of view of the security camera, the angle was good enough to show a typically Asian eye structure. The video flashed a box around his face, showing the moment when the facial recognition software was tripped. Brett split his monitor again, enlarging the flagged image and displaying the photo from Chu’s dossier alongside it. He asked, “What do you think?”
Alana said, “Inconclusive, but it could be him. Back the image up and zoom in on the card he used to transit the gate.”
Brett obeyed Alana’s request, but the card image was indistinct. The camera was not recording at a high enough resolution to capture details. Alana pointed to the enlarged image and traced an outline of what might have been a logo. She said, “Vira, I just outlined an image on a credit card on Inspector Crabtree’s monitor. Take that image, flatten the card’s aspect ratio, and compare that outline to known logos of banks operating in the Los Angeles area. Display the results on my office whiteboard.”
A small hourglass appeared in the upper right corner of Brett’s display, and it began spinning. Several seconds later, it stopped. Behind Alana’s desk, the office whiteboard came to life, displaying an image of a corporate logo that neatly fit within the outline Alana had traced. Brett said, recognizing the logo, “Baradur Bank.”
Alana repeated their well-advertised motto, “One bank to finance them all.”
Brett asked, “How does this help?”
“We know that the ticket was purchased with a prepaid card. If we trace that prepaid card to the bank that issued it, and it’s the same bank—”
Brett sighed, “Then we have even more circumstantial evidence. However...,” he said, rewinding the video and zooming in on the subject’s arm-computer, “If we can identify this device, and link a similar purchase to one of Chu’s known bank accounts, then we’ll have some even more condemning circumstantial evidence!”
Alana suggested, “Another line of inquiry would be to cross-index the number of All-Star Game tickets purchased with pre-paid cards from Baradur Bank. But you might need a warrant for that since it’s a fishing expedition. The line on that’s a little blurry under the Republic Constitution.”
Brett looked askance at Alana, jamming his tongue into his cheek. A verbal truce held for several seconds before Brett finally broke it, “Or, you could call Sports Central and get your contact there to give you the game footage.”
Alana walked back to her desk and sat down, “Vira, call Edward Jenkins.”
Brett closed his eyes, resting them, as he listened in to Alana’s side of the conversation.
“Hello, Edward? This is Chief Inspector Graves. No, this is business. I need to ask a favor. Yes, I realize my coupon has expired. No... What I need is access to any pregame footage your network shot of the All Star Game on Saturday night, along with any shots you took of the audience during the first inning... I see... How expensive...? I can’t guarantee a night. It’s the nature of my job... I see... Yes, I can make it tentative for next Wednesday evening... Lobster, huh? Yes, I suppose. That’s only fair... DeVito’s? That expensive skylight restaurant in Hollywood...? Really? That’s where you were going to... I see... Yes, I apologize. It was rude of me... Yes. I’ll send a detective down to your offices to review it this afternoon... Yes, I can wear something...like that.” She looked up at Brett. He had propped his feet atop his desk, and he was grinning broadly. Presumably, he was able to divine the nature of the conversation. Alana finished, “I’ll call you ahead of time if my schedule changes. Vira, end.”
Brett opened his eyes and met the gaze of an unhappy cyborg.
Alana said, “Can you find the Sports Central building?”
Brett nodded.
“Then get down there ASAP. Ask for Ed Jenkins and he’ll steer you to their video archives.”
Brett swung his legs around and used the momentum they generated as the fell to the floor to help lift him out of his chair. He straightened his tie, retrieved his suit coat from his locker, and departed without saying another word. Alana could tell that something was bothering him, that he wasn’t acting like his normal self. It also came in waves, with his spats of frustration coming and going like the tides. The first time she had noticed was when he was promoted to Detective Inspector. She resolved to ask him about it directly when she had an opportunity.
There was a quick rapping on her door, to which Alana beckoned, “Come in!” Rhys slid the door open and stepped inside. Alana asked, “Ben, have you ever seen me naked?”
Rhys said, “I saw you in your red dress once. Next best thing. Would you prefer the good news or the bad news first?”
“Actually, Ben, I’d prefer to apologize for snapping at you when you brought up Jenkins during the briefing.”
“I’ve been hectored by worse people in better places. It was a bit of a surprise, I will admit.”
“I was just a bit touchy over it. And I wanted to tell you that I’m going to have dinner with him next Wednesday, unless I have something better to do.”
Rhys asked, “Change of heart?”
Alana shook her head, “Extortion. I sent Crabtree down there to get the baseball game videos. I still want to know if Chu was in the audience. Dinner was the price, and I have to pay for it this time.”
“I guess you should have gone out with him last night.”
Alana said, “I also have to wear my red dress to dinner.”
Rhys sat down in Brett’s chair, “Now I’m jealous. Why did you agree to go out with him in the first place?”
“If I told you that it was because I was mad at you for not moving in with me, would you believe me?”
Rhys said, “Good question. If you were acting the same way you did before your last resurrection, I’d say, ‘No.’ However, since then...”
“Well, it’s true. That’s the real reason. Over the last four years, I’ve really come to rely on your friendship. I started wondering whether we’d ever find a way to connect, especially after I caused your death. Since you’ve been retired, you’re a lot colder than you once were.”
Rhys replied, “You mean like you used to be? Ever since I’ve known you?”
Alana propped her elbows upon her desktop and parked her chin upon her palms, “Have I really always been that way?”
“After I was resurrected, at first, you were warmer. But then you started to cool off again. I once thought we’d meet in the middle. We’re still good friends, as well as coworkers, right?”
Alana admitted, “My last iteration told the Chief that we were more than platonically involved. Do you remember any reasons I might have said that?”
Rhys said, rubbing his hairless chin, thankful to be shed of the daily requirement to shave, “It was fairly obvious to me that you paid much closer attention to me than to anyone else in your life. I don’t really remember how I felt about that. But I do remember keeping any and all photos of you and myself on display in my foyer. They’re still there.”
“I think there’s too much for us to talk about here at work, and work’s not going to let up until we solve the cyber-kidnappings. Once we get that out of the way, can we go somewhere private and have a long talk about us?”
Rhys said, “Yes. I think we should. In the meantime, do you want the good news or the bad first?”
“Can I opt for one and forego the other?”
“They’re two sides of the same coin.”
“Bad first. Then you can cheer me up.”
“I can’t find a trace of Louis Chu. The latest record I found of him was when he transferred all his money to his
sister. Before that, he seemed to be keeping a normal existence. He stayed at home on weekends and was gone during the week.”
“Where did he go?”
“No idea. While there are some places in the Republic where there is perpetual camera surveillance, Glendale isn’t among them.”
“Were you able to back-trace the location he was posting to social media from?”
“They all came from his townhome. However, some of those items were transmitted from there on days he was away.”
“Was he spoofing his origin, you suppose?”
“Undoubtedly. He has the know-how.”
“All right, now cheer me up.”
“He’s still logging into his online game. As of about an hour ago, he was playing.”
“How...?”
“I got the game company to give us sniffer access to their login server. The upshot is that we know he’s somewhere on the Internet. However, his log in address says he’s home, and he’s clearly not.”
“Well, that’s only about sixty-five percent of the world’s surface.”
Rhys said, “It’s only about twenty-four percent if you don’t count the oceans. Just trying to be optimistic.”
Alana asked, “Can you start tracing his data packets backward to their origin?”
“I’m fairly computer savvy, but I’m not an expert. I’ll need to tap cyberforensics for help on that. But that’s not the biggest problem. I know enough about data processing to realize that if he is an ace hacker, which is what he’d have to be to puppet a cyborg, as soon as we pinged his Internet access portal looking for him, we’d set off an alarm and he’d move again. Probably stop playing his game altogether.”
Alana said, “You know, I may have a better idea, which also involves cyberforensics. Vira, call Wendy Lin.”
Thursday, 13 July, 16:00
Alana caught Wen Jing at home and asked her to bring her personal game console into the office. She set it up in one of the smaller conference rooms where a sofa was available for her to lie upon while she was playing. She gathered some extra pillows for padding and lay down to test it for comfort, adjusting it several times. Alana, Brett, and Rhys stood against the opposite wall, giving her a wide berth within which to work.
Wen Jing said, “I’ll need to be fully immersed to play the game. I’ll be mostly out of touch with reality. If anyone touches me, I’ll feel it. That’s probably the best way to let me know that you need something. Just tap my helmet three times, quickly, and I’ll find an excuse to log out.”
Rhys said, “On Sunday, DCI Graves was able to link in to my vision and watch the warehouse raid through my eyes. Can we do anything like that with you while you’re in the game?”
Wen Jing finished rearranging the couch cushions and then flopped down on them to test them out, “You can’t watch in real time. There are some ways to do that, but you need a deluxe console, and I only have a basic one. But I can record everything I see and make a video file you can watch later. I’m not sure if it’ll qualify as admissible evidence though.”
Rhys said, “It won’t.”
Alana said, “It shouldn’t need to be. We need to find out where he is. If you ask him directly, he’ll probably get suspicious. So what I want you to do is make contact with him through his sister. Then coax him out into public so we can arrest him. If you meet him, just say whatever works. I’m thinking that you can drop into a conversation with his sister that you’re from Los Angeles. Maybe say that you’re new in town, and you wanted to meet up with new friends outside of the game. You might even ask him out on a date—”
“Hey!” Brett exclaimed.
Wen Jing laughed, reaching out to Brett and rubbing his upper arm, “Don’t worry.”
Rhys clarified, “The important thing is to either find out where he’s at, or have him come to us.”
Wen Jing said, “I can try, but that’s all I can promise. Obviously, if I’m too forward, he might get suspicious. Nothing’s going to matter though unless I can make contact with his sister. If I can do that, then I might be able to use her to get to him.”
Alana said, “That’s it in a proverbial nutshell.”
Brett said, “I can log in on my account and stay close by. Maybe help you out?”
Wen Jing shook her head, “I looked up Vicky’s and Louis’ characters. They’re both members of a high-end raiding guild called ‘Spiritus Bellatorum.’ I hate to say it, Brett, but your relative inexperience with the game might make the Chus just as suspicious as if they spotted you hiding behind a tree. I need to fly solo.”
Alana asked, “What should we do while you’re playing?”
“Just be somewhere I can find you. If I can make contact with Victoria, I’ll pretend to take a bio break and log out long enough to call. I’ll have to take a break every hour or two anyway.”
Alana asked, “Bio break?”
Brett answered, “Shorthand for, ‘I gotta go pee.’”
Rhys asked, “How long can you play before you need to rest?”
Wen Jing said, “The longest session I ever did was sixteen hours straight. We had a very long raid in the Caverns of the Moon once. We wiped-out several times before we finally beat the last encounter. That one gave me a headache.”
Alana asked, “Can you log in for a little while so we know what to expect?”
Wen Jing smiled, “Sure!” She donned her virtual-reality headset, a latticed, plastic hemisphere with a cable running from the top of the helmet to the top of the game console. She placed a pair of jet-black shades over her eyes. She lay down, stretched out, and squirmed around until she was comfortable, saying, “It’s easier on a real bed.”
Brett asked, “You okay?”
Wen Jing smiled, “Yes, sir!” faux-saluted, and closed her eyes. “I’m logging in now. See you in a couple minutes.”
Wen Jing was breathing in and out, the frequency and intensity gradually slowing. If the observers didn’t know she was in virtual reality immersion, they might have mistaken it for sleep. Occasionally, her facial muscles would twitch, as would her fingers. At one point, her right arm jerked upward and then fell back to her side.
Alana asked, “What’s it like being inside one of those games, Brett?”
Inspector Crabtree replied, “It’s difficult to describe. It’s all first-person, like you’re seeing through a camera. You can hear everything around you in stereo. Everything physical you do feels like you’re really doing it, without the pain. But otherwise, you get very limited sensory feedback. It’s not as dynamic as real life.”
Rhys observed, “It sounds a bit like being a cyborg.”
Brett said, “I wouldn’t know about that yet.”
Alana turned to Brett, “Is that why you’ve been edgy lately? Fear of dying on the job?”
Brett said, tossing a casual glance toward Rhys, as if he didn’t feel comfortable discussing personal issues around someone he considered to be his peer. Nonetheless, he answered, “I have something I want to live for now.”
Rhys said nothing, and Alana asked no follow-up questions. She felt she had, with near-certainty, solved the quandary of Brett’s recent volatility, and it was exactly as she had supposed. The room remained quiet for another minute, when Wen Jing stirred, removed her shades, opened her eyes, and resumed her normal breathing. She said, “Everything’s working. I added their characters to my friends list. Victoria is online now, but Louis isn’t. I should probably try to get to her while she’s there.”
Rhys asked, “Assuming you can reach Louis Chu, isn’t he going to assume you’re a man playing a female character? I read that about eighty percent of female characters are played by men.”
Wen Jing smiled broadly, “It’s all right. I’m a tibby. If he inspects my character profile, he’ll see that.”
Brett elaborated, “True Body Image. Her avatar looks like she does.”
Wen Jing said, “You should get one, Brett. I don’t mind the beefcake avatar you use, but I’d rather look at th
e real you when we play.”
“I can’t. Active duty field officers aren’t supposed to make their images public. It makes it harder to go undercover. And isn’t it better than that bikini chainmail avatar of yours I borrowed the first time we were in VR together?”
Wen Jing smiled, nodding, “True. I’m going back into VR now. Remember to knock three times on my helmet if you want me.” Less than a minute later, she had returned to her slumber-like state of immersion.
Brett yawned before saying, “I’ll sit with her for a while, unless you have something else for me to do that’s more important. I’ll use the whiteboard in here to scan through the Sports Central videos I picked up earlier.”
Alana nodded, “Certainly. Call my Vira if anything happens or if you two need anything. Otherwise, I’ll leave you to it.
Alana and Rhys departed the conference room, closing the door behind them. Alana asked, half-wanting to move her case closer to resolution and half-hoping that she and Rhys would have a chance to have the discussion they had promised to have in the indeterminate future, “What are you going to do while we wait?”
Rhys answered, “I need to go home and inspect the repairs the contractor made today. Why? Did you have any new ideas about how to find Louis Chu?”
“Have you asked his uncle? The diplomat?”
“No. SD told me to avoid contact with Chinese officials. I can only assume it’s because they’re investigating them at a higher level. You should take a break. At least grab a couple hours sleep while you can. If anything turns up at the stake-out, we might need to move quickly.”
Alana pondered the situation a moment, and found herself in agreement, “All right. I’ll call you if I need you; otherwise, I’ll see you at tomorrow morning’s briefing?”
Nodding, Rhys turned to walk away. Alana watched him until he disappeared around a corner at the end of the corridor. She then returned to her office and sat with a thud, which was something she hadn’t expected. Her mind was certainly fatigued, but there was no reason her body should react the same way. Before she could set her alarm timer and turn off her senses, her Vira pinged, “Chief Inspector Graves, you have a call from Srinivas Darzi.”
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