Investigating Deceit

by Michael Anderle

  The man spat blood, along with a string of creative profanities.

  “Don’t be like that. We were bonding.” Alina smiled. “Let’s talk about what we both love: history.”

  The man continued glaring, his breathing becoming more labored.

  “Throughout history,” Alina continued, “terrorists have always said they’re doing the right thing and used that argument to justify hurting a lot of innocent people. At least in a war, you have a side, and you can negotiate, but your kind? You just kill and kill and kill because a few people decide everyone gets to be in the war.” She shook her head. “Even the Second Spring thought they were doing the right thing when they murdered tens of millions of people in Los Angeles.” She patted her pocket. “In my job, every once in a while, I run into some terrorist who admits he’s just a little man who wants an excuse to kill people. It’s refreshing to meet someone that honest.” She glared at him, her eyes hard. “Unlike you. We wanted to watch your little terrorist cell for a while longer, but once you got your hands on this, we didn’t have a choice but to come in here and take away your stolen toy before you did real damage.”

  “Our cause is just,” the man repeated. He coughed up more blood. “I have fallen today, but my brothers and sisters will rise to wreak vengeance tenfold.”

  “Tell that to all the innocent people you were about to murder.” Alina stood and offered the man a mocking smile. “There’s nothing worse than false righteousness and someone lying to themselves. Just call me the reincarnation of Diogenes. And by the way, your brothers and sisters will have to master coming back from the dead if they’re going to avenge you. Have a nice death.” She offered a little wave and headed toward the front door. She halted at a slight buzz in her ear.

  “Report, Agent Koval,” barked a harsh voice in her ear.

  “There was an incident,” she explained. “I was forced to go hot. The primary cell has been neutralized. All active terrorists are either dead or scrounging around for a coin to pay Charon before their trip to the afterlife. I’ve secured the nanobomb.”

  “You weren’t supposed to engage the terrorists. You were supposed to wait for backup. Did I speak Zitark earlier when I gave the orders? I thought they were pretty clear.”

  Alina ran her tongue along the inside of her cheek. “They were about to leave and use the nanobomb. With all due respect, sir, letting them leave seemed pretty stupid. I would rather my last thought in this world not be, ‘I just let allowed thousands of people to die a painful death.’”

  The man growled, “And if you’d gone in there and gotten yourself killed, they might have used it right away to become glorious martyrs for the cause. You gambled.”

  “Good thing I’m lucky, then.” Alina stepped through the front door. “And I took measures to contain the bomb. I set up dispersion emitters before I went hot.” The door slid closed behind her. “Have a little faith, sir.”

  “A team is en route, Agent Koval. They’ll handle containment and liaise with the local authorities. You’re going to hand over the bomb to the team, and then you’re going to get your ass to Neo SoCal.”

  “Neo SoCal? Why?” Alina frowned. “Is there another cell there? I thought you said the others were neutralized.”

  “This particular problem is over, but there are two people who might be a new problem,” he explained. “Among other things, we haven’t ruled out their involvement in the theft of Project EMMA.”

  “Major Blackwell?” Alina asked.

  Her superior snorted. “Yes, but he’s Detective Blackwell now. I don’t care what the DD says. I don’t believe for a second that this man conveniently survived a massacre of the rest of his unit and then ended up with a stolen AI prototype. There’s a good chance he’s connected to trouble, and DD is so up their butts because he’s a war hero that they’re not seeing the obvious.”

  “Why aren’t the local agents handling it?” she asked.

  “We’ve got them working on other matters. It’s best they don’t risk compromising themselves for this.”

  Alina laughed. “In other words, you want someone who’s not attached to the locals in case you need to burn me.”

  Her superior grunted. “Your job is to confirm Blackwell’s loyalties and those of his partner. He might have recruited her. If you determine they are a problem, you are not to engage. This will be handled through appropriate channels. Cleanup will have to be sensitive. The last thing we need is DD deciding that we are a problem. We’ve got enough trouble without dealing with them putting pressure on us.”

  Alina left the quiet apartment and headed through the dark hallway. A few windows let in sunlight, but the artificial lights, even the emergency lights, were all dead from her earlier high-powered EMP.

  “Okay, sir. I’ll verify if we need to handle them.” She smiled, relishing the implied challenge. “But what should I do if a chance to eliminate them comes up?”

  His reply was deadpan. “Like it just did with the terrorist cell?”

  “Sometimes life just gives a woman a chance,” Alina looked over her shoulder. “I’m sure I can handle a couple of troublemakers.”

  “Fine,” her superior replied. “But only after you’ve confirmed with me that cleanup is necessary. You understand, Agent Koval? You are a good agent, perhaps one of the best, but you still answer to me.”

  “Of course, sir. Don’t worry. I’ll hop a transport to Neo SoCal and get this figured out.”

  Jia yawned as she stepped out of the elevator and into the hallway. Having a couple of days off would be nice.

  Going through files like a Digital Forensics tech was exhausting, but at least they had a possible suspect to focus on. Emma hadn’t mentioned anything odd from the drone surveillance, but there also hadn’t been any threats issued in the previous few days. If Kevin Tomlinson was the criminal, he might have temporarily been frightened into silence by either the police or the presence of 46 Helix security.

  She wanted the case to be over, but after what happened with the Leem King, she also worried that this case would end with some ridiculous high-speed chase and a lot of explosions.

  It would be a nice change of pace if they could just walk into the man’s apartment and slap on the binding ties.

  Jia slowed and narrowed her eyes at a brief shadow on the far wall before her turn. After a few more steps, she stopped. There was no shadow anymore, but she was sure she had seen it. Plenty of other people lived in her residential tower, so someone being in the hallway wasn’t inherently suspicious or out of place, even if she didn’t pay close attention to her neighbors’ comings and goings.

  If she hadn’t been thinking about the case, she might not have noticed or worried about the shadow.

  Had Kevin Tomlinson decided his best chance was a surprise attack? That didn’t make much sense. Her involvement was a matter of public record and the news reports and going after a cop directly would only increase their involvement.

  Her partner’s reputation would discourage most criminals.

  That was what logic told her, but she couldn’t shake the concern. From the beginning of the case, something deep inside her mind told her there was something more going on than one scientist being harassed. If 46 Helix kept dangerous secrets, killing a “corp hunter” cop might be worth the risk. They might even try to pin it on Tomlinson. It’d be a useful smokescreen as they smuggled out dangerous data or experiments.

  She considered. The thought wasn’t insane.

  Someone in the UTC had the resources to murder an entire Army Special Forces platoon and deflect the blame onto terrorists. It’d be far easier to assassinate one cop and get away with it. Her breath caught. Maybe the conspiracy had decided to target her instead of Erik?

  “Is anyone out there?” Jia reached into her jacket and gripped her stun pistol.

  No one responded.

  She pulled out the gun and crept forward, her heart pounding. She couldn’t let someone take her down. If someone wanted her dead, they
would need to throw a whole army of King sentry bots at her. She would make the conspiracy realize it would be harder to kill her than Erik.

  After a few more steps, she whipped around the corner, her pistol ready. No one was there. She turned around. Still no one.

  It was the same hallway she’d been in hundreds of times. There was nothing unusual. There were the same apartment doors and the utility closet door that were burned into her memory.

  Maybe I’m just seeing things, she thought. Paranoia is still a thing, even with dangerous conspiracies out there.

  Her writhing stomach didn’t agree.

  A door slid open behind her. She twisted back around and let out a hiss of surprise.

  A man in a scarlet demon mask jumped out of the utility closet, stun rod in hand. He swung at Jia. She jerked back, his blow missing her but slamming into her pistol. It flew out of her hands and smacked into the door.

  Jia didn’t go for her other gun. Instead, she grabbed the man’s wrist and bent. He cried out in pain and dropped the stun rod. When she slammed her palm into his face, the thick mask took the brunt of the blow, but her assailant staggered back a few steps, shaking his head.

  “You’ll pay for that,” he threatened, his low voice muffled by the mask.

  “Officer under attack,” she shouted. “Backup requested.” A quick line in the corner of one of her smart lenses confirmed the PNIU’s receipt and relay of the command. Patrol officers would be there in minutes. She could survive against one man until then.

  The man lunged forward, trying to wrap his arms around her. She jumped and met him with a kick to the head. Jia wasn’t sure if the loud crunch was from the mask or his head. Both ideas were satisfying.

  She didn’t wait for his next move. Instead, she charged toward her assailant. She hammered him with punches to the face and the chest. The mask held its shape well, with only a few new dents, but its wearer fell to his hands and knees. Blood dripped to the light-colored floor from underneath the disguise. Jia finished with an axe kick to the back. He collapsed with a loud grunt.

  Jia dropped and jammed her knee into the small of his back. She pulled her gun out of her second holster and shoved it against the back of his head. “This isn’t a stun pistol. You make any other moves, and you won’t make it out of here alive. Do you understand?” She bent a bit lower and hissed, “You antisocial piece of garbage!” She switched her pistol to her other hand. “You just attacked a cop.”

  The man’s responded with a pained groan. Jia yanked out a binding tie from her pocket and secured his wrists.

  “You’re under arrest. All Article 7 rights apply. Assaulting anyone is bad, but attacking a cop?” Jia snorted. “You should have shot me when you had the chance. There’s no way I’m getting off this case now. I hope 46 Helix paid you a lot, and I hope you spent it all because you’re going to prison.” She rolled the man onto his back and yanked off his mask to reveal the battered face and bleeding askew nose underneath. “It can’t be!”

  Jia wasn’t expecting to recognize her assailant. She certainly wasn’t expecting it to be someone from her building, and somebody who had recently asked her out.

  “Sampson?” Jia stood, her eyes narrowed on her downed neighbor. “You’ve got to be kidding me. I’ve got enough problems without this nonsense.”

  “All you had to do was go out with me,” he moaned. “I’m a good guy. You just had to give me a chance. Why couldn’t you have given me a chance?”

  Jia rolled her eyes. “Yes, most good guys try to stun their dates. I don’t even want to know what sick plans you had. Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of time to reconsider your dating strategy in prison.”

  Her PNIU chimed in her ear. “Detective Lin, this is Patrol Flitter 24-Zulu-12-122. What’s your current status?”

  “I’m okay, and the suspect is secured,” she replied. “Attempted assault, and I’m guessing attempted kidnapping, among a lot of other things. Suspect’s name is Sampson Aryle.”

  “Good to hear you’re well, Detective Lin. We’re about one minute out from your res tower.”

  Jia snatched up her stun pistol from the ground. Her heart was still pounding hard. “Thanks. I can keep him under control until then.” She tapped her PNIU to mute her voice and glared at Sampson. “I should turn my stun pistol up to maximum and shove it in your mouth to see what happens, you sick freak.”

  Sampson’s eyes widened.

  “Don’t worry, you piece of trash. I’m not going to.” She holstered the stun pistol. “You’re not worth it. Just like you weren’t worth going out with. Apparently, I’ve got a sixth sense for creeps.”

  Sampson let his head fall back. “But I’m a good guy!”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  January 27, 2229, Neo Southern California Metroplex, Police Enforcement Zone 122 Station, Office of Detectives Jia Lin and Erik Blackwell

  Jia frowned at Erik. He’d been smirking at her on and off for the last half-hour. He’d been normal enough the rest of the morning, so she didn’t know what had brought on the smack-worthy face he was wearing now.

  She’d contacted him the night of the attack to inform him of what had happened, and he’d been concerned but otherwise quiet about the matter. Not knowing why he was looking like that annoyed her.

  It didn’t help that she’d remained on edge following the attack.

  She was disappointed in a strange way. A 46 Helix assassin would have made more sense, and that had been what she was expecting. Being attacked by a random idiot from her building reminded her that Erik’s Lady might rule the world more than Jia would have preferred.

  “What?” she snapped. “Is there something on my face, Erik?” She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Sorry. Still spun up.”

  “Nothing on your face. I was just thinking,” Erik explained. He raised a hand. “I know, I know. Dangerous. You might consider having Emma interface with your PNIU. I doubt that exact situation will happen again, but we’re both involved in enough trouble that you never know when you’ll need help.”

  “I’d prefer not to,” Jia replied. “And I’m able to call for help without an AI’s assistance.”

  Emma snickered. “The voice-processing system on your PNIU is an AI. It’s just not self-aware.”

  “Fine.” Jia rolled her eyes. “I’m able to call for help without a self-aware AI’s assistance.”

  “Your loss, Detective Lin,” Emma replied. “There are certain disadvantages in operating farther from my primary core anyway. My reaction time would be diminished. Of course, I’d be considerably faster than a human.”

  “I’d still prefer not to. I like my privacy.”

  “I assure you, I’m not interested in whatever dreary secrets you think you have.”

  “I’m glad we agree on something, then.” Jia forced a smile to cover the tension in her voice.

  Erik shrugged. “Your call. Did they confirm what you suspected about the guy? We sure this wasn’t an opportunistic hit by someone we’ve tangled with in the past?”

  Jia nodded. “There is no connection whatsoever between him and any of our cases. They also confirmed he lives in the building and has for longer than I have, and he confessed to stalking me. He’s just a sick loser who couldn’t take no for an answer. It’s disturbing to realize that such crimes can happen so close to home, but I’m no longer surprised by the corruption in this city.”

  “I’m impressed,” Erik admitted.

  “Impressed? By the stalker?” Jia frowned. “He’s just an antisocial creep.”

  Erik snorted. “Nah, not him. He surprised you with a weapon, and he lost. I’m impressed by you. When I first met you, you couldn’t even bring yourself to fire at an out-of-control guy who tried to run you over, and now you’re beating down stalkers who get the drop on you. Most people would have ended up stunned and stuffed in his trunk.”

  “He’s a loser.” Jia shrugged. “I was convinced he was some 46 Helix assassin sent to disrupt our investigation.�
�

  Erik looked surprised before his expression smoothed out. “I thought he might be connected to something, but Chen? If they were willing to do something like that, they wouldn’t have caved when you barked at their PR guy.”

  “It’s hard not to suspect them. I’ve felt that something was wrong about this case from the beginning.”

  Erik stared at her. She could see the doubt in his eyes. That hurt, but the hint of pity struck her deeply.

  Jia sighed and leaned back. “Then again, I don’t know. I suspect something’s going on with everything these days. It’s like I went from thinking Earth is perfect to knowing Earth is a cesspit of corruption, and every shadow might contain a terrorist or a corporate assassin willing to murder anyone in their way.”

  “It doesn’t hurt to be suspicious in our line of work. Just have to keep in mind why you’re doing the job. That’ll help you focus on the wins and not the darkness out there.”

  “I try.” Jia furrowed her brow. “We just need to finish up the case. It’s messing with me, and I’m not sure why. I know Emma didn’t get anything incriminating yet, but I think it’s time we put pressure on Kevin Tomlinson.”

  “What did you have in mind?” Erik asked. “I think we need something a little more restrained than what you did with Teplov.”

  “Sure, sure. It’s easy. We just drop by for an interview. No big threats or yelling. We ask him a few pointed questions, and let him connect the dots.” Jia rubbed her hands together with an almost feral smile on her face. If he was the suspect, she could get him to confess. “If he’s not the guy, it shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

  “Sounds good. We’ll hit him after lunch. He might have been behaving because of the holiday.” Mirth returned to Erik’s face and wiped out the pity and concern from earlier. “Maybe we’ll get lucky, and he’ll run.”

  Confused, Jia processed the statement for a few seconds before asking, “How is that getting lucky?”

  “Unlike you, I didn’t get to kick anybody’s ass on my day off,” Erik complained.