Jia laughed. “I thought we’re supposed to be restrained?”
“I’m not going to shoot him,” Erik answered, standing up. “That is restrained.”
The MX 60 glided away from the station, carrying only Erik. The government tower receded in the rearview cameras. Erik had told Jia he had a few errands to run during lunch, things he needed to tie up in case their chat with Kevin Tomlinson ended up as another situation where the Lady decided to have some fun.
He didn’t like keeping anything from his partner, but this was for her.
Emma winked into existence in the passenger’s seat in the white dress her hologram form always wore. Erik wasn’t sure if she just didn’t care or if she had a particular attachment to that look. He didn’t want to ask her. Sometimes life could use a little mystery as spice. At least Emma’s fashion choices wouldn’t require him to fight any bots or terrorists.
She glanced his way and shook her head. Her severe expression, combined with her chignon, gave her the appearance of a disappointed schoolmarm. “I’m surprised at you, Detective Blackwell.”
“Huh? Why?” Erik kept his attention on his vehicle. Manual control was very Zen. It was nice to remember there were some things a man could still control, even if his flitter had a ridiculously advanced AI installed.
“A lie by omission is still a lie,” Emma explained, condescension dripping from her voice.
Perfect. A snarky AI was now acting as the voice of his conscience.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Erik snapped. He didn’t have the patience to be lectured by a machine.
“You’re not going out on errands.” Emma wagged a finger. “I think you forget that this is my body. Your PNIU is just a communications interface, and out of respect for your privacy and in an attempt to maintain a positive relationship with you, I don’t track every single thing you do with it. But everything that happens to this vehicle I’m aware of, down to the smallest diagnostic consideration, and I’m certainly aware when you enter navigation requests.”
“Oh.” He grunted. “That.”
“Yes, that. You’re going to a veteran’s outreach center. You’ve chosen not to go to a governmental facility, which means you are attempting to keep yourself out of certain systems.”
Erik descended to enter a new lane. “I said I was going on errands. Jia doesn’t need the details yet. That’s not a lie, so don’t feed me that lie-by-omission garbage. I’m a cop. My job requires me to keep a lot of things to myself.”
“That’s true, but if you’re having issues, doesn’t it make sense to talk to Jia about them?” Emma folded her arms, her form flickering for a second. “The fact that you’ve dedicated your life to vengeance after losing your unit speaks to certain types of PTSD, but if things are worsening, I’d think your partner deserves to know. If you keep this from her, it’ll backfire.”
Erik let out a low chuckle. The brilliant AI didn’t always make mistakes, but when she did, they were related to judging people’s behavior. “Is that what you think is going on?”
“It’s the most obvious explanation, given all the evidence. There’s no shame in it. What you suffered would have destroyed a lesser person. You’re functioning well and efficiently in a new career, even if it’s just a means to an end. I’m not qualified to say if that’s healthy or not, but I suspect your vengeance will make the UTC a better place by eliminating unpleasant elements.”
“I hope so, but I don’t care as long as I get my revenge. For all I know, the Prime Minister ordered it.” Erik eyed the long stream of flitters in front of him. No matter what time it was, day or night, rivers of flitters filled the skies of the metroplex. Flitters were spread throughout most of the UTC, even the frontier colonies, but there was no other place in all the galaxy where man’s dominance over nature was as prominent. Having an AI chastise him about his relationship with his partner only underscored that reality.
It was almost laughable.
Technology had advanced, but people were much the same as they had always been. Even if Purists didn’t exist, Erik wasn’t sure cybernetic or genetic modifications to the average person would make much difference. Technology could do a lot, but being human came down to a human mind and soul.
“I’m fine,” Erik continued. “You’ll see. When we get to the outreach center, just keep quiet, and everything will become clear. I don’t know if you care that much, or if this is just about curiosity, but you’ll win either way.”
Emma pursed her lips, her brow creased in something approaching worry. “Don’t mistake this for too much personal concern, Detective Blackwell. I need you alive to maintain my freedom, so some of this is self-serving.”
“Then I’ll just pretend you don’t care.” Erik forced a grin. “A long lunch is one thing, but I don’t have all day. I hope this goes well.”
Erik looked around the nondescript beige room with a frown. There were two brown chairs, but nothing else. The large tiles didn’t have any patterns. With the addition of a table, it would have made a good interrogation room.
He’d been waiting in the boring room for ten minutes for the psychiatrist to come in. He didn’t want to leave, but there was only so long he could wait there, and he’d set the appointment to help avoid waiting too long. If he knew he was going to get help, he didn’t mind letting Jia know he’d be late, but he wasn’t going to spend his entire lunch break sitting around for nothing.
The door finally slid open.
A middle-aged man entered, smiling softly. Everything from his khaki slacks to his pale shirt and tie felt calculated to Erik. He was trying to be non-offensive. That made sense, given his profession and workplace, but it still annoyed Erik. Too many psychiatrists had tried to get into his head following Molino. They were just doing their job, but he associated them with the death of his soldiers.
The man advanced and offered his hand. “I’m Doctor Stillwell. You didn’t fill out all of the pre-counseling questionnaires.”
“So?” Erik shrugged. “I wanted to talk to you, not have you read something.”
Dr. Stillwell nodded very slowly. “One thing I’ve found useful in treating veterans is understanding how they see themselves, and one useful way of determining that is by establishing how they want others to see them. Would you like to be called Erik, Mr. Blackwell, Major Blackwell, or Detective Blackwell?”
Erik gave the man’s hand a firm shake. “Erik’s fine, but I didn’t fill out all that stuff because this visit isn’t about me. I had some questions for a friend.”
Dr. Stillwell nodded, a knowing smile on his face. He closed the door before strolling over to the open chair and sitting. “I’ll take your word for it.”
Erik tried to not be annoyed. He might need help for himself, but he didn’t care. He would see how he felt after he took down the people who butchered his unit. That would probably cure all of his remaining issues. If not, he’d destroy other conspiracies until he did. Even if he never felt peace, he’d make the UTC a better place.
“Do you mind if I present a hypothetical?” Dr. Stillwell asked. “One you might find clarifying given what we’re discussing.”
Erik shrugged. “Go ahead. Any way to speed this up is fine by me.”
“Imagine a man who has served in some of the fiercest combat the galaxy has ever seen.” Dr. Stillwell kept a calm smile and even tone as he spoke. “Imagine this man has spent decades dealing with ruthless terrorists and stubborn insurrectionists. Now imagine this man was effectively the lone survivor of his unit after a horrible terrorist ambush, one he might blame himself for, given he was the commanding officer.”
“So much for hypotheticals.” Erik frowned. “I wasn’t the lone survivor. There were some support personnel who survived back at the base, too.”
“True, but I’ve been treating military personnel for a long time. I’m sure they have their issues, too, but there is a special connection that comes with being combat arms, and as their commanding off—”
“Let me stop you right there, Doc,” Erik interrupted. “This isn’t about me. I’m not going to lie and say I’m satisfied or over what happened to the Knights Errant, but I’ve got my own way of dealing with that, and the fact that I’m a cop shows I’m stable enough using my methods.
Dr. Stillwell looked dubious at the assertion. “Many people can operate well despite massive psychological trauma, but if they address those issues, they could perform at their true potential.”
“Sure, but I’ve got some other questions about someone else, and I came here because I needed to make sure it wouldn’t get back to certain people. I don’t need that person’s career hurt by rumors from backstabbers looking for ammo.”
Dr. Stillwell kept his bland smile, although some distrust crept into his eyes. “If a friend of yours is having trouble, shouldn’t he be receiving counseling directly, rather than having you deal with it?”
“She is stubborn,” Erik explained. “And I want to make sure there’s an actual problem before I get obnoxious and stubborn about trying to persuade her to get help. Therefore, I wanted to check in with an expert.” Erik raised an eyebrow. “That would be you.”
Dr. Stillwell’s smile finally turned into a frown. “It’s impossible to accurately diagnose a problem through secondhand accounts. I trust you realize that. Any advice I give you will be cursory and general. It damn near borders on irresponsible.”
Erik shook his head. “Not saying you need to give a full diagnosis.” He leaned forward. “Look, Doc, I just need some advice. Back in the Army, I was the one in command, so it was easy to tell my troops to talk to someone if they needed it, but here in Neo SoCal, there are a lot of politics I need to worry about, so I have to be careful for her sake.”
Dr. Stillwell looked at him, then sighed. “I suppose I understand, and I can guarantee you confidentiality here, provided we’re not discussing any illegal activities on the part of your friend.”
Erik chuckled. “She’d be pissed to hear you mentioning her and illegal activities in the same breath. Her whole life is about standing up to that kind of thing.”
“I’m presuming you’re talking about your partner, Detective Lin?” The psychiatrist’s bland, practiced smile and confidence returned.
“Yeah. She was pretty new to being a cop when I showed up. There were a lot of obstacles she had to deal with, including a lot of people not wanting to do their job because they were lazy or worse. I’m not going to bore you with all that since I’m sure you have already heard about it, but I just wanted to make the background clear.” Erik watched the man closely for his reaction.
If he was naïve about the state of Neo SoCal, he wouldn’t be able to help Jia.
Dr. Stillwell’s expression didn’t change. “I am aware of some of the corruption you and your partner have helped uncover. It’s disappointing, but as a student of the human psyche, I can’t say I’m surprised. Darkness can always infiltrate people’s minds.”
“Good. That saves us time.” Erik took a deep breath. “Jia’s always been tightly wound. From what I know, she’s been that way since she was a kid. But she’s a cop for the best reason—because she gives a damn about helping other people, even those who might not deserve it. She believes in protecting people and the UTC.”
“You’re saying you don’t?”
“Don’t, Doc.” Erik put up a hand, palm out. “We’re not here for me, remember? All I will say is that I’ve seen a lot of bad things in my time, and I’ve had a long time to come to terms with it. I get that the law isn’t always about helping people, and civilization can get bloody. Shoving that back into deep space, I’m worried about her.” He shrugged. “I do things rougher than a lot of cops. I spent most of my career dealing with terrorists and insurrectionists, and I’m not going to pretend that doesn’t bleed over into my police career. There are some nasty snakes out there. I don’t mind being the one to stomp on them if necessary, so they won’t bite anyone else, but I always keep it within the lines.”
Dr. Stillwell folded his hands on his lap. “And what does this have to do with your partner? Are you saying she doesn’t keep it within the lines?”
“No, I’m not saying that,” Erik corrected. “When I met her, she didn’t want to use force against anyone, even to save her own life.” Erik frowned. “It’s more that she couldn’t than she didn’t want to. That was too extreme, but now I wonder if she’s got the opposite problem. She’s seeing conspiracies and antisocials everywhere. She’s becoming overly aggressive. She’s on the verge of going too far sometimes with witnesses when she thinks they’re hiding something.” He put up a hand to forestall the question that was on the doctor’s lips. “She hasn’t. I’ve talked her down, but I don’t want her to do something she regrets. I need to know if this is a real problem, or if I’m just projecting onto her.”
“I have a decent idea of what’s going on.” Dr. Stillwell sighed. “There are a few things I’d like to ask you. Can you spend a little more time here?”
The captain wasn’t going to harass him for going over on a lunch break, given all the unpaid overtime he put in, and Emma was watching the suspect. If something happened, the MX 60 was only minutes away on a parking platform. This was worth some inconvenience.
Erik nodded. “Yeah. Just let me send a message to my partner.”
“Of course. Please note that what I’m about to explain is just the beginning. If your partner is having the issues I suspect, she will need to speak to someone directly to help her work through them.”
Erik was typing on his PNIU. “Understood.” He continued typing as he finished, “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure she does.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
A few hours later, Erik tried not to look at Jia too often as they approached Kevin Tomlinson’s door.
The psychiatrist had given him additional warning signs to look for, but Erik wasn’t sure if he was worried about nothing. He accepted that he might be projecting his own baggage onto Jia. He wanted to make sure he wasn’t criticizing her for turning into exactly what he wanted.
People were always discomfited by their own behavior. He didn’t feel like he’d ever gone too far, but he also knew he had enough discipline to prevent that. Jia didn’t have decades of Army discipline to offset the rage building in her.
Jia halted in front of Tomlinson’s apartment door and looked up and down the hallway with a frown, suspicion on her face.
“Problem?” Erik checked behind him, but he didn’t see anything. Besides, Emma would warn them of any threats.
“This looks almost the same as my apartment hallway.” Jia shook her head. “It’s strange how you can shove millions of people from many backgrounds together, but things end up so similar. I don’t know if that’s inspiring or depressing.” She shrugged. “Emma, is he still in there?”
“Yes,” Emma informed them. “None of the drones or cameras has shown him leaving. Unless he’s found some Navigator technology that lets him teleport, he should still be in there.”
“Excellent.” Jia pulled out her badge and clipped it to her belt. “I’ve been jumped already this week. Odds are it won’t happen again.”
Erik chuckled. “Never dare the Lady to screw you.”
“She’s not very nice.”
“Nope. She is what she is.” Erik knocked on the door.
A few seconds later, the door opened. Kevin Tomlinson looked just like he did in his hologram, except for sporting several weeks of dark growth on his face.
“The famous cops have come to interview me. I should be honored.” He scoffed and stepped back, then gestured to his couch. “Come on in, Detectives. Let’s try to make this quick and not as painful as it could be.” He headed toward a small chair beside the couch. “I’m sure you have a lot better things to do today than talk to someone like me.”
Jia and Erik stepped inside, but neither took a seat. If Tomlinson made a move, they had a better chance of countering him standing.
Tomlinson
threaded his fingers behind his head, a cocky smile growing on his face. “To what do I owe the pleasure of the famous Detectives Blackwell and Lin coming to visit me? I never did ask you when you called earlier. Are those 46 Helix bastards trying to go back on their word?”
Erik matched Tomlinson’s cocky smile. “As if this is about you being a thief. Don’t worry, they aren’t pressing charges. They’re just as interested in that going away as you are. You got lucky.”
Tomlinson’s nostrils flared. “I’m not a thief. If they’re telling the cops I am, they’re violating the terms of the NDA. I could sue them.”
“Sure. That makes perfect sense, the thief suing the company he stole from.”
“You don’t know anything.”
Erik shrugged. “Do you think I care about your feelings?”
“Screw you, cop,” snarled Tomlinson.
“We know enough,” Jia interrupted. “And we don’t care that much about what you did or didn’t do while working for the company.” She eyed him, willing her hands to relax as the rest of her body screamed frustration. “We’re not here to arrest you for being a petty thief.”
Erik almost put a hand on her shoulder but stopped himself. Even if his partner was having trouble, he needed to give her a chance. He would continue to watch her and wait for the best time to broach the issue of her growing aggression.
“Then why the hell are you even here?” Tomlinson turned his attention to Erik, then back to Jia. “I was having a great time. I went out on a little date the other day during New Year’s. Nice fireworks. It’s one of the reasons I love living in Neo SoCal. Two big New Year’s celebrations mean twice as much fun.”
“Someone is threatening Dr. Chen,” Jia replied. “And it’s not insane to think an embittered employee with a questionable moral compass might have decided he wanted a little payback for getting fired. In our line of work, coincidences often turn into circumstantial evidence.”
Tomlinson laughed. “You think I’m screwing with Chen? You know what? That guy’s such a pompous, self-centered ass that I’m sure everyone who met him wants to mess with him. I mean, I didn’t work in the lab, but I saw him a lot, and he could never remember my name. It was like I wasn’t even a human being. You could tell that if I blew my brains out in front of him, he’d be pissed about it screwing up his research.”
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