Cabal of Lies

by Michael Anderle

  “Another option? Such as?”

  “The Last Soldier and this partner could be useful tools. I think you’re all focusing so much on his elimination that you keep forgetting.” Julia motioned toward the hologram of Molino. “If he believes he’s found the people responsible, and we provide him the evidence, he would be in our debt, and we could steer him toward our targets with greater ease.”

  There was a sudden silence.

  “Delicious,” Shoji declared, his face lit with joy at the idea.

  “That’s nonsense,” Sophia countered. “He won’t be so easily manipulated. If we were to deal with him that directly, even through proxies, all we would do is lead our true enemies straight to us. No. For now, he’s too dangerous. We should let things lie. Let him believe he’s wounded us, and let him drown in the banal realities of normal police work. We can use our agents to continue field operations.”

  “You’re missing an opportunity,” Julia insisted. “One that might not arise again.”

  “No, we’re being wise. No one should take action against either the Last Soldier or his partner without all of us agreeing.” Sophia swept the table with her gaze. “Understood?”

  “Clarity has never been one of your problems, Sophia.” Julia offered her a soft smile. “Understood.”

  Chapter Sixty

  Jia’s heart pounded as she grabbed a beer from her refrigerator. She headed back into her living room and offered it to Erik. “I know it’s not your favorite brand, but…”

  She wasn’t sure why she had beer other than Erik’s favorite brand in her refrigerator. It wasn’t like she drank it unless he was around. Was it to fool her family when they came over and worried about her taste?

  Erik smirked. “But old princess habits die hard and you drink expensive beer when you’re alone?”

  “Something like that.” Jia considered grabbing one for herself but decided against it. She needed a clear head for the conversation she wanted to have.

  Erik took the beer with a smile. “Booze is booze.” He looked around with a frown. “But I’m not seeing any duck. That’s the real problem.”

  “Duck?” Jia took a seat next to him. “I didn’t say anything about duck when I invited you over. Did I?” She shook her head. “No, there’s no way. I would have remembered. I don’t take duck lightly.

  “I assumed that was why you wanted me to stop by. Whenever you’ve asked me to stop by without explaining things in the past, that’s always been the reason.” Erik took a sip of the beer. “But free beer is always welcome, even expensive, fancy, rich-person beer. And it’s not bad. It lacks a certain…something, but I’m not going to complain.”

  “I’ve been thinking about everything that happened the last couple of weeks,” Jia explained. “That was what I wanted to talk about.”

  “That’s always dangerous, especially for Lady Overthink.” Erik swallowed significantly more beer this time. “And what does your thinking tell you?”

  “That Esposito wasn’t just trying to kill you.” Jia frowned. “He was also trying to kill me.”

  Erik searched the coffee table for a coaster. Jia had already set out one with an elaborate floral pattern. He put the beer down.

  “Plenty of people have tried to kill you before.” He shrugged. “What’s the big deal? Someone tried to kill you on the day we met. He just wasn’t very good at it.”

  “That’s true.” Jia looked away. “But before, it was either incidental or related to my work as a detective. This time, it felt like the conspiracy was targeting both of us. We’re not talking about hiring a lone hitman, but people willing to use something as elaborate and dangerous as nanozombies. It’s not something I can just blow off.”

  “True.” Erik nodded slowly. “So, where are you going with all this?”

  Jia reached over and placed her hand on top of his, and he struggled for a moment to focus. He overcame the synapse problem she had caused just before she started talking. “We’re not famous cops anymore, Erik. We’re targets. And because we’re targets of a ruthless conspiracy which is willing to do anything and use anyone, we might end up being more of a liability than a help to the NSCPD. Not just you, but also me. Nanozombies aren’t the kind of thing we can handle as detectives.” She sighed. “If we didn’t possess those barely legal weapons, we wouldn’t have been able to handle Delta 97. If we hadn’t ignored procedure to let an experimental AI hack a prison station, a lot more people would have died, probably including us. I’ve tried to ignore that, but I can’t anymore.”

  Erik looked down at her hand. “That’s all true.”

  “If this is what we’re up against, we need to face them a different way,” Jia insisted. “We can’t do that as cops. I’ve accepted that now, fully. Because of that, I think we need to take Alina up on her offer.”

  Erik smiled and pulled his hand away. “Are you sure? It’s not like you’ll be able to walk back into the station six months from now. I’m not saying this is impossible to come back from, but we’re talking about the ID, not changing to a new corp.”

  Jia locked eyes with him, her heart pounding. Her entire life was about to change even more than when he’d first fallen into it. If she were honest with herself, she found that more exciting than frightening.

  “I’m sure,” she declared. “I think I have been for a while.”

  “Then I’ll contact Alina,” Erik replied softly. “We should also see if Malcolm’s interested. The ID’s already vetted him, and it’d be nice to have the beginnings of a support team. We’ll need to work out the details about how to best do this, but it’s not like we need to have it figured out tomorrow.”

  “You’re right.” Jia looked away. “I’m not claiming I’ll never regret this, but I have a feeling I’d always regret it if I didn’t take the chance.”

  “I’m glad,” Erik murmured. “I don’t want to do this without you.”

  Malcolm stared at Erik, his mouth open as he leaned forward in his chair. He looked around his office as if they were behind one-way glass. “Should we be talking about this kind of thing at work?” he hissed. “I mean, this is, like, serious ghost stuff.”

  “I’ve handled the privacy, Technician Constantine,” Emma explained, merely a voice in the air. “Unless someone along the lines of the ID is attempting to spy on you, I doubt you have anything to worry about.”

  Erik grinned and clapped Malcolm on the shoulder. “You knew it was coming to this, didn’t you? I figured you knew that from the minute you found out the truth about Camila.”

  “I wasn’t sure about quitting my job.” Malcolm groaned. “I’m not the kind of guy who wants to fight zombies in space or crazy monsters in a sewer.”

  “You don’t have to fight zombies in space or monsters in a sewer. That’s what Jia and I do.” Erik stepped away. “We need you for what you do now: help with investigations, data, and records.” He motioned toward the data windows floating above Malcolm’s desk. “Nothing new, and no firefights. With you and Emma working together, we’ll be able to go through evidence like it was nothing. And we don’t care about what shirts you wear.” He grinned. “Come on, Malcolm. You’ve been interested in doing this since before you even knew what I was involved in.”

  “I don’t know, Detective Blackwell. I mean, this is crazy.” Malcolm chewed his lip. “Super-crazy.”

  It was time for one final push.

  Erik leaned close to Malcolm’s ear to whisper, “Let me ask you one thing. You banging Camila yet?”

  Malcolm blinked several times, his eyes flicking to Erik’s face. “W-what did you just say?”

  “I asked if you were banging Camila. Because if you aren’t, leaving behind your old job to help the Intelligence Directorate is a definite turn-on for a woman like her.” Erik leaned back, a huge grin on his face. “Just saying. It’s time you put your skills to the test, and it’ll help you look cool for your girlfriend.”

  Malcolm shook his head once, then twice. Then he shrugged, smirked,
and threw his hands in the air.

  “Well, when you put it that way, sign me up!”

  Erik stared up at the huge waterfall cascading down the tower and flowing into an artificial lake. Everything about a waterfall park atop a metroplex tower was absurd. It was simply an expression of the arrogance of humanity in building something without practicality just to show they could. On most days, Erik might even admit that was why he liked it. The story of humanity was the story of struggle and survival.

  And that was what he was: a survivor.

  Jia smiled at the waterfall. Her smile vanished, and her hand moved into her coat as someone emerged from behind a nearby tree. Erik went for his gun. Both relaxed when they spotted a familiar cyan ponytail.

  Hair swaying, Alina sauntered up to the detectives with a slight smile. “Good morning. I’m glad to see you two are always ready to take down assassins.”

  “It keeps us alive when people send cyborgs and zombies to kill us.” Erik frowned as he looked around. Something was off.

  Something had changed, but what?

  Jia glanced his way with a knowing look. “We can’t hear the waterfall anymore.”

  “More ghost shit. Got you.” Erik chuckled. “I’m surprised you’re not here in disguise, Alina.”

  “I’ve made sure this area is controlled for the moment, which is why you haven’t seen anyone else since coming here.” Alina inclined her head toward the waterfall. “And loud noises offer their own excuses for why people can’t hear things. Sometimes the best place to hide is in plain sight. Sheer audacity can make for spectacular intelligence successes.”

  Erik nodded. “Fine. We might as well get this over with. We’re ready to take your offer. We’ll be your contractors or whatever you want to call it, but that doesn’t mean we’re pawns. We’re doing this in exchange for a focus on the conspiracy, whether it ends with Talos or goes deeper than that. Malcolm’s onboard as well. We can figure out the details going forward.”

  Alina nodded. “So Camila told me. I’m surprised they ended up together. He doesn’t seem her type. It goes to show you that even an intelligence agent can get people wrong.”

  Jia walked over to a nearby bench and took a seat, then crossed her legs. “You never thought Erik would say no.”

  He looked at the women but didn’t speak.

  Alina shrugged. “I think I made an offer that provides something for everyone involved. There was little long-term reason not to take it. Both of you have stared directly into some very nasty truths, and I knew it wasn’t long before you’d want a bigger sandbox to play in to confront those truths. And here we are.”

  “The nanozombies pushed me over the top,” Jia admitted. “Somehow…” She shook her head. “At least the mutants were born that way, but what the conspiracy did this time was a new low.”

  Alina stared at the waterfall, a distant look in her eyes. “Give it another year or two, Jia, and you’ll find there’s no such thing as ‘a new low’ for some people. But I understand where you’re coming from. I also have information that’s relevant to the incident on the station.”

  “Was it Talos?” Erik asked.

  “We’re not sure, but there are technological innovations involved that we’ve previously seen from them.” Alina tore her attention away from the waterfall, a haunted look on her face. “I’ll be blunt. Things are worse than they appear.”

  “Of course they are,” Jia muttered. “That’s why you’re grabbing police officers to turn into rent-a-ghosts.”

  “It’s beyond that.” Alina pointed at Erik’s left arm. “Most people buy into some form of Purism, and there are laws against various types of technology. I want to be totally honest with you. There are elements of the government who keep an eye on certain technologies in particular applications.”

  “Advanced genetic engineering and cybernetics?” Jia guessed.

  Alina nodded. “It’s not enough to make things illegal. A record of a technology is as good as immortality for the technology, and certain things are…well, you’ve seen them. Yaoguai. Nanozombies. What’s the point of improving on things like that? You don’t have to be a Purist to be disgusted. A law is a fiction enforced by the strength of the government, but if the knowledge never existed as far as society is concerned, it’s easier to contain.”

  Erik shook his head, letting out a hearty laugh. “Conspiracies within conspiracies. I’m surprised I’m not dizzy.”

  “Yes.” Alina gave him a defiant look. “The Intelligence Directorate got our hands on samples from those nanozombies. We wanted to confirm who might be involved, but we also wanted to confirm something else: the baseline technology used.”

  Jia narrowed her eyes. “You’ve seen it before.”

  Alina nodded. “There was a government super-soldier project a few decades back, code-named ‘Dragon Fire.’” She gritted her teeth, her body trembling with barely concealed rage. “They wanted the perfect soldier, stronger, faster, able to heal. The researchers involved decided the existing limits on nanotechnology were too confining. They wanted to employ different types of nanites.”

  “But there were side effects,” Erik suggested. “Bad side effects.”

  She nodded. “Yes. The human body can accommodate a lot, but the more you change things, the more you have to compensate for the changes.” Alina took a deep breath. “We don’t know how Talos has beaten cybernetic psychosis syndrome, or if they truly have, but we know they didn’t solve the problems with the Dragon Fire nanites. I also refuse to believe it’s a coincidence that they had nanites from a program halted decades ago.”

  “Someone in the government leaked them to Talos.”

  Alina nodded. “This is what we’re fighting. The enemy isn’t an army wearing uniforms. The enemy looks and sounds like a loyal member of the UTC government, all the while conspiring with a terrorist organization to make disgusting weapons that pervert the very nature of humanity.”

  Erik snorted. “Who gives a shit?”

  Alina blinked. “Huh?”

  “I don’t care what they look like. We’ll find them, and we’ll end them.” Erik eyed her. “It’s as simple as that.”

  Alina let out a light chuckle. “Really? It’s as simple as that?”

  Erik bobbed his head. “It’s not right that the government is screwing with research, but I know the other side is worse, and they were involved in killing my people on Molino. For all I know, we stumbled onto a nanozombie lab on that moon, and that was why they ambushed us.”

  Alina turned to Jia. “What about you? Things aren’t always going to be black and white, Jia. You’ll have to make some hard calls, and you won’t be able to hide behind the law when you’re working for me.”

  “Those using nanozombies and yaoguai aren’t the kind of people I’m going to lose sleep about taking down.” Jia gave a resolute nod. “I’m with Erik. Things might change after we track down whoever is responsible for Molino, but until then, I know we’ll be doing more to help the UTC than harm it.”

  “We’ve already thought about this a lot, Alina,” Erik explained. “We know what we’re getting into.”

  The ID agent smiled. “Good. Who am I to say no to qualified help? I suggest we ease you out over the next couple of months. Sudden moves will get the wrong kind of attention, and like you said, we need to work out the details. Sound good?”

  Erik looked at the moon in the distance. It wasn’t Molino, but it was a reminder of his promise and duty to his soldiers. “Yeah. Sounds good.”

  Chapter Sixty-One

  Jia carried in the silver tray from her kitchen. A perfectly roasted duck, the skin crispy, sat on the tray. A perfect co-mingling of spices filled the air, and her stomach rumbled at the scent. She moved over to the dining room table where Erik sat and put the tray in the center.

  “Since you complained last time you were here about not having duck,” she commented.

  Erik laughed. “I’m just saying, if you invite a man to your place, you should give
him duck. Especially since you cook it so well.” He stood and picked up a knife to carve the bird. “The last time you invited me, it was because you’d made a big decision.” He cut down the side. “Have you made another big decision?”

  “I have been thinking,” Jia admitted. “Even if we tell the captain we’re not leaving for a few months, it’s going to seem sudden, and a lot of people are going to notice that we’re leaving together.”

  Erik finished carving the duck and set some meat on his plate. There was an open beer in front of him already. “So?”

  “Don’t you think they’ll link it to the prison attack?”

  “Maybe they will, but it doesn’t matter. The official media report is playing it up like a yaoguai thing, with the nanites a minor factor. No official nanozombies exist,” Erik answered. He speared a bite of duck with his fork.

  “I suppose that’s part of them suppressing technology.” Jia shook her head.

  Erik swallowed his duck. “This is damned good duck.”

  Jia smiled warmly. “Thank you.”

  “In this case, though, it’s a good thing we’re leaving so soon after that crazy crap.” Erik pointed with his fork toward himself, then her. “They’re not going to think about strange conspiracies. They’re going to think we got fed up with always being in the middle of weird and dangerous incidents, and we decided to do something else with our lives. It makes sense if you think about it.”

  “We’ll no longer be symbols.” Jia picked up her glass of wine. “We’ll be keeping a lower profile for our work with Alina. People will forget about us.”

  Erik shook his head. “No, they won’t forget about us. We’ll become something better.”

  “Better?” Jia set the glass down after taking a sip. “How?”

  “Because we’ll be the best kind of symbols—the kind people can project their own meaning onto.” Erik smiled. “And we probably won’t be around for reporters to hassle to get the truth.”