“You’re leaving the company?” Erik asked.
Dr. Karton nodded. “There’s too much…pressure right now because of what happened. No one wants to look bad.”
“Are you getting pushed out because you know too much?” Jia suggested. If they could get another inside contact, that would help with the investigation.
Dr. Karton shook her head, her expression softening. “Nothing like that. I’ve just gotten a better offer. It’s hard to stand out in a lab like this. Too many brilliant people, so my career here is a dead-end. Dr. Chen doesn’t care much about PR, but even he’s stressed because of the threats. This environment isn’t conducive to getting anything accomplished.”
Erik grunted. “Maybe that was what Kevin Tomlinson thought, too. He might have just kept grabbing things until he found something he thought he could move, a little personal bonus. The only thing I don’t get is why they didn’t turn him over to the police if he was stealing equipment. They probably have all the evidence we would need.”
“PR.” Dr. Karton shrugged. “If they handed him over to the police, it would have been a matter of public record. Can you imagine what it would look like for a company like 46 Helix to admit they had a petty thief on a security team? One with access to one of their most important labs? The only reason other people haven’t been fired is the company didn’t want a big mess. They told Kevin they wouldn’t pursue charges or even sue him as long as he signed an NDA and kept his mouth shut. They booted him, and apparently, they didn’t care what happened to him after that. I think everyone just thinks if they wait long enough, this will all go away.” She rubbed the back of her neck, her eyes darting around. “You know what? I’m not even sure I should be talking about this. I just got mad when I saw that hologram.”
“We’re the police,” Jia insisted. “And we’re investigating a serious threat. Given what you’ve told us, we even have more reason to believe they’re real. NDAs don’t cover criminal acts.”
“Sure, sure, but can I go now?” She looked around. “I don’t know much else. Honestly.”
Jia nodded slowly. “It’s fine. Thanks for the information.”
Dr. Karton scurried off, a few shades paler now.
Erik whispered as he looked around, noting some of the more obvious cameras. “Sometimes I don’t know who is scarier, the corporations or the gangsters.”
Jia frowned. “This Kevin Tomlinson might blame Dr. Chen as a symbol for his getting fired, like you said. If he was stealing because he thought he was underpaid, it might have annoyed him that a researcher who couldn’t even remember his face and name was making so much money. And Dr. Chen’s not exactly the most personable man. He might have been rude to him.”
“I’d suggest ‘was probably rude.’ I think we should assign surveillance to Tomlinson for a couple of days. If we go knocking on his door now, he might decide to cool things off until we get bored and then make a big move. If he’s smart enough to keep his messages from being traced, it won’t be as simple as accessing his call records, even if we can get a warrant.” Erik nodded at Dr. Chen’s door. “I don’t want to spend the next two months babysitting that guy.”
Emma joined the conversation. “Do you want me to pry around?”
The two detectives looked at each other, their faces barely moving before Erik answered, “Not yet. Anything you find, we would have to prove we would have found eventually. Otherwise, they might get the information tossed. We’ll play this close for now, but if the captain gives us surveillance approval, there’s no reason you can’t control a few drones and pay more attention than any human could.”
Jia looked between the door and toward the nearby corner where Dr. Karton had disappeared. “It does fit. As security, he would at least have had a general familiarity with the security systems, and even Dr. Chen’s PNIU. From what she said, he knew enough to use the systems to modify records. If he stole enough items to make even a little extra money, that means he has underworld contacts, or at least enough to find himself an expert to help him send anonymous threats.” She shook her head. “What a fool. He should have left well-enough alone. If he hated his job, he should have just gotten a new one.”
Erik stared down the hallway. “He couldn’t even stop himself from stealing on the job. Self-control’s obviously not the guy’s strong suit.”
Hours later, both detectives were finishing up reading reports. The end of their shift neared. Captain Ragnar had agreed with their surveillance plan, and they’d already received the necessary warrant for external surveillance. The judge wasn’t convinced enough to give them direct access to Kevin Tomlinson’s communications or other records yet, but they had a lead, which provided momentum.
“I feel kind of guilty,” Jia admitted as she closed a data window.
“About what?” Erik closed the rest of his windows and cracked his knuckles. “You have to do something bad before you can feel guilty.”
“I feel guilty about taking Lunar New Year off when we still have this open case, not to mention most of the department helping with security. It’s not that I mind the extra day off, but almost everyone else will be working. I’ve not thought about it much with everything else that has been going on, but now that it’s coming up, I can’t help it.”
Erik shrugged. “And? We have surveillance on Tomlinson, the captain wanted us to take the time off, we burn hard, and all of that means we need to recharge when we have the chance. Right now, we have a few questions, but this case could easily end up with us in the Shadow Zone on mini-flitters.”
Jia folded her arms, her expression skeptical. “I doubt that.”
“I’ll let you know if the suspect does anything worthy of you coming over and shooting him,” Emma offered.
Erik smiled. “See, Jia? It’s all handled. After the garbage we had to deal with a few months ago, I think we deserve a holiday.”
“True.” Jia let out a breath. “I just hope it doesn’t end with us getting attacked by terrorists. I’m not all that interested in shooting people.” Her expression darkened. “But I don’t like the idea of a criminal relaxing when we’re close to catching him.”
“He’s not going to be relaxing,” Erik insisted. “If Tomlinson is the guy responsible, he’s all bent out of shape about his revenge. He’s not having a good time. The company’s got security on Chen, and we’ve got eyes on Tomlinson. He’s not doing anything, and if another threat comes, we might be able to get the warrant we need to push farther and end it.”
“And if this turns out to be a terrorist conspiracy?” Jia raised an eyebrow in challenge.
“It’s my turn to say, ‘I doubt that.’” Erik grimaced. “Besides, a terrorist attack might be more pleasant than what I have planned. At least with the terrorists, I can solve the problem by shooting them. I prefer a straightforward problem that lends itself to a straightforward solution.”
Jia eyed him, curious. “What could be worse than having to fight terrorists?”
Erik stared down at his desk for a few seconds before nodding. “I decided to take everyone’s advice.” He glanced at her. “I’m going to meet with my brother.”
“I’m sure it’ll be okay. In the end, he is your family.” Jia smiled. “I know you’ve had your differences, but whatever you both once were, you’re now two grown men who have contributed to society. From what you’ve said, he’s all you have left in terms of family. Do you really want to let any more time pass before you patch this up?”
“Yeah, that’s what I keep telling myself.” Erik stood, a distant, wistful look in his eyes. “Or this might end with me punching him.”
“At least try to give him the option to leave before you hit him.” Jia grinned. “Or let me know, so I can be the responding officer. I promise to suggest extenuating circumstances and encourage your brother to think about family first.”
“No promises,” he replied as he stood up. “What about you?”
“I don’t have anything planned. Just relaxing.”
Erik grabbed his duster from the wall. “Nothing with the down-to-Earth businessman?”
Jia blinked. She didn’t. More than that, it hadn’t even occurred to her to plan something with Corbin. She tried to shove the implications out of her mind, but her doubts refused to leave.
She smiled, but it didn’t quite make it to her eyes. “Sometimes schedules don’t work out. If you don’t call me before the fight, I’ll be available if you need someone to bail you out.”
Erik slipped on his coat. “Good to know.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Erik sat at a darkened table in the back of Remembrance, nursing a Wolf’s Rebellion. Meeting his brother at a cop bar had been a strategic choice brought on by Jia’s comment.
If he needed to punch Damien, he’d be surrounded mostly by his brothers and sisters from the 1-2-2. He wasn’t planning any trouble, but he’d already annoyed his brother by suggesting a bar instead of a restaurant. The whole thing might be a terrible mistake, but sometimes you needed to pull out the blade before you could treat the wound.
He sat there for twenty minutes before his gray-haired, less muscular doppelganger stepped into the bar. A waiter pointed toward Erik, and Damien made his way over.
Erik’s brother stopped behind his chair, his face uneasy, hands hanging loosely at his side. “It’s been a long time.”
“Yeah, it’s been a long time.” Erik nodded at the chair. “I figured a place like this would be better in case you didn’t want to be seen in public with me.”
“I know I was awkward before, but it’s not like that.” Damien pulled the chair out and slipped into it. “That would be a mistake on my part. Major Erik Blackwell and now Detective Erik Blackwell. You’re not…” He sighed and looked away.
The light buzz Erik had going egged him on. “I’m not antisocial?”
Damien sighed. A waitress stopped by with a smile. He ordered his drink and waited for her to disappear into the packed bar before turning back to Erik and speaking.
“You served the UTC, and now you’re serving Neo SoCal,” he explained. “For me to act like you’re some antisocial criminal at this point is just stupid. I’m too old, and most of the bad memories have melted away. You’ve spent far more years serving society than hurting it.”
Erik picked up his drink, took a sip, and grinned. “Not disagreeing.” He set his drink down. “I am sorry about Mom and Dad. I’ve said it before, but I want to make sure you know. I was halfway across the galaxy on a mission. Even if they had let me go, it would have taken me months to come home.”
Damien kept his gaze focused on the table. “I know, Erik. It wasn’t fair to be angry. You were getting shot at by insurrectionists and terrorists, and I’ve never left Earth. It’s just…” He looked up to see Erik watching him. “When you’ve felt a certain way for a long time, it’s hard to let go. It feels real and justified, even if it no longer is.” He blew out a breath. “I’ve come to grips with that in recent years.”
Erik swallowed the rest of his drink, the baijiu burning like an inferno on its way down. He took a deep breath, his eyes pinching closed for a second before he shook his head slightly and opened them. “That’ll clear your sinuses.” He slammed the glass down.
Some of the tension around his eyes released. “I’m not going to sit here and pretend you were totally wrong about me. That final day might have stuck in my craw, but the Army made me into a halfway-decent man. Before then, I was everything you accused me of being. An embarrassment without direction.”
Damien smiled as a waitress delivered his beer.
She turned toward Erik and set down another Wolf’s Rebellion.
Erik looked at the drink, then eyed her. “You psychic now?”
She smiled. “Observant. I’ve never seen you stop at just one, no matter what you’re drinking, Detective Blackwell.” She winked and walked away.
Damien took a sip of his beer, his eyes following the waitress before he glanced at his brother. He hesitated before asking, “Do you like being a cop?”
“Um.” Erik scratched his cheek. “I have my good days and my bad days,” he admitted. “I’ve got a good partner and a good captain, which makes the job easier. Taking down filth is satisfying, criminal or terrorist. It’s not a fancy corporate job, but I’m proud of it.”
Damien nodded. “I respect the police and the military. You’ve spent decades risking your life so people can be safe. I…” He paused to take a sip of his beer. “I’m not surprised that you’re ending up in a lot of trouble.”
“Oh?” Erik needed to know what his brother was getting at before he decided if he needed a verbal slap.
Damien managed something approaching a smile. “Even when you’re on the right side of the law, Erik, you can’t help but be a troublemaker.”
Erik’s smile was genuine. “What can I say? I don’t like being bored, and when I get bored, trouble seems to find me.”
Damien nodded. “Remember the penguin?”
Erik burst out laughing so loud several people nearby eyed him. “The penguin? I haven’t thought about that in years. You’re talking about the bot at the zoo, right?”
“Yes, the bot at the zoo. I can’t believe you did that, even if you were only twelve at the time.”
“It wasn’t a real penguin, and it’s not my fault it was so easy to mess with.” Erik paused to drink more before continuing, “I can’t even believe that gadget I got from my friend worked. I thought it would be a big joke, and then…” He shook his head and laughed at the memory.
“I remember when I saw the penguin. Do you? I’d gone with Mom and Dad to get some food, and you said you wanted to keep checking things out.”
“It wasn’t like I was going to hack a mascot bot with my parents and brother around.” Erik set his glass down. “Even if I didn’t think it was going to work. I wanted to be careful.”
“I was working on my burger when Perry the Penguin came waddling in,” Damien managed between snickers. “A bunch of the zoo employees were running after him, yelling and pounding on their PNIUs. We all wondered if an animal had gotten loose. They used those bots to announce things, so I figured it was just a way of getting our attention, but then I noticed a couple of things. There were other mascot bots around, and nobody was chasing them. And that was when I heard it.”
Erik leaned back in his seat, buzzed from both alcohol and nostalgia. “You never told me that before. You just said you’d seen him.”
Damien gestured widely with his arms. “I mean, how would you react if you were just sitting there and this penguin mascot bot starts spewing curse words? I didn’t even realize what it was saying at first. He was going through different languages, and it had to cycle to Mandarin and English before I understood.” He thought for a second. “I learned a few new words that day.”
“That wasn’t my idea. My buddy said it’d be funnier, with all the people visiting.” Erik smiled. “I was chasing the bot the whole time. I lied about that later, but I was. I wanted to see it all in person. I followed Perry up to the point where they shoved him between two buildings and finally got him under control.” He cackled and slapped his knee. “And then they made the announcement right after about the malfunction. What did they say?”
The brothers spoke in unison. “Please excuse the malfunction. The Jarvis Zoo apologizes for the unpleasant experience and any distress you might have encountered, and we can assure you that we are looking into the cause of this incident.”
Erik leaned back. “I would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for them checking all their drone feeds.”
Damien shook his head. “You know, at the time, I was impressed. I couldn’t tell you that because Mom and Dad were so angry. It’s easy to fall into line, and hard to challenge things. Then I got older and things got worse, and your jokes weren’t just foul-mouthed penguins.” He gulped down more beer, staring at his brother.
Erik waited, unsure of what Damien wanted him to say.
&n
bsp; Damien finished his beer and lowered his bottle. “I’m too old to care about it anymore. I can’t remember most of what I thought was so important, and I know Mom and Dad were proud of you serving, even if they were stubborn like me and couldn’t bring themselves to admit it. It’s not too late for us. Let’s get some more drinks and talk about all the crazy things we can remember.”
“I remember a lot of crazy things. You ready to get that drunk?” Erik raised an eyebrow in challenge.
“I owe you.” Damien grinned. “This is long overdue.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Alina strolled through the apartment, pistol in hand. The heels of her ankle boots clicked on the hard tile surface as her long cyan hair swayed behind her in a ponytail. In her tailored dark suit, she might be mistaken for an attractive young businesswoman.
If it wasn’t for the blood splattered all over her clothes.
Her victims lay either dead or dying. A few of them groaned from their pools of blood, barely able to keep their eyes open. She holstered her weapon and crouched beside a man glaring at her, his hatred palpable.
She clucked her tongue as she reached into his pants pocket and fished around. She yanked out a small silver-colored bar and shook it at the dying man. “This sort of thing isn’t for people like you. This sort of thing isn’t safe for anyone, but you know how it goes. Once something’s invented, it’s not like you can uninvent it.” She slipped the device into her jacket pocket. “I’ll give you credit. Your little group was impressive, managing to steal this. A whole lot of people are going to get in a lot of trouble over losing it.” She thought before shrugging. “Not anyone I care about, mind you, but people.”
“You haven’t won,” the man rasped. “Our cause is just. History will remember us as heroes.”
Alina shook her head. “Oh, you’re a fan of history, are you? I am too. It’s interesting what people can have in common.”
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