Enlightened Ignorance

by Michael Anderle

“I’m sorry we ruined your plans, Jorge.” Jia scoffed. “Now toss the weapon. I won’t ask again.”

  Jorge dropped the gun to the desk and pushed it over the side. It clattered on the tile floor.

  “I’ve done nothing wrong,” Jorge shouted. “It was business as usual. You’re the ones who don’t understand that. Everyone preferred things like they were before. Even the police understood that.”

  Jia shook her head. “If you’re working with criminals who had a part in trying to assassinate a police chief, that’s not business as usual.” She took a step forward. “And the NSCPD is different than it was last year.”

  Jorge moved his hand toward the number pad. “You think I didn’t prepare for this possibility? You think I didn’t plan ahead? I knew someone like you might come after me eventually.”

  Jia halted. Her mouth pressed into a thin line.

  Erik frowned, eyeing her.

  Something was wrong.

  “What’s your plan?” Jia asked. “You really think you can escape from a building filled with and surrounded by police officers? Even if you escape, where will you go?”

  Jorge stood. His hand dropped from the number pad to his PNIU. “If you’ve made it this far, then you know there are a lot of people locked up in the building. Most of them don’t understand we were involved. It was just shipping goods and services. Was that so wrong?”

  “Contraband, right?” Jia asked. “The shooter might not have known everything, but he told the CID that companies were helping to bring in explosives and unregistered drones, the same explosives and drones that wreaked havoc at the chief’s installation ceremony. It was a miracle no one was killed.”

  “That’s right, explosives.” Jorge grinned. “I knew something big was going to happen, so I brought in a little extra. You’re going to let me leave, or this time I guarantee someone’s going to die.” He inclined his head toward his PNIU. “If I blow the explosives, everyone locked up dies.” He gestured to the black box with his other hand. “And everyone in this room dies, too. That’s a lot of bodies just to arrest one man. Does the math seem reasonable to you, Detective?”

  Erik’s finger twitched. A good shot could kill the man, but would it be quick enough to stop him before he triggered the bombs? He might be bluffing, but Erik wasn’t going to bet innocent lives on it.

  Jia let her binding ties drop to the ground. “You expect us to believe you’d kill yourself here? I doubt you have the fortitude for that.”

  “It’s better to die here than go to prison,” Jorge insisted. “It’s not like they’ll just transport me to some colony, not for being involved in all this, even indirectly.”

  “It’s fine, Detective,” Emma sent directly to Erik and Jia. “This suited slug didn’t anticipate my involvement. I’m blocking his PNIU from transmitting. Note he hasn’t said anything about a dead man’s switch.”

  “You sure?” Erik asked. “You’re asking me to gamble on a lot of people’s lives.”

  “It’s not a gamble. I’m giving you a hundred-percent guarantee. Okay, I should account for minor variables. Ninety-nine percent guarantee.”

  Emma could be condescending, arrogant, and a pain, but she’d more than proven herself reliable in their months together. Sometimes all a man needed was a snarky AI to have his back.

  Jorge sneered, misunderstanding who Erik was speaking to. “Gamble? There’s no gamble here. You will let me go. Now, everyone drop their guns before I blow us all to Mars.”

  “Do what he says,” Erik ordered. He lowered the TR-7 to the floor slowly and ensured that most of his fingers were up.

  The other officers dropped their guns and backed toward the door. They all looked uncertain.

  Erik stood and dusted his hands on his coat. He made a fist and raised it. “You want to do the honors, Jia, or should I?”

  She advanced toward Jorge. “Thanks, Jorge. Now we get to add more charges. I hope you enjoy prison. I’m sure they’ll love a guy like you.”

  “Stay away!” Jorge screamed. “I’ll do it. Don’t think I won’t.”

  She shrugged. “Then do it. Show us you’re a big man.”

  One of the uniformed officers in the back swallowed. “Detective, maybe you shouldn’t antagonize him.”

  Jia walked toward the desk, the disdain on her face building with each step. “Oh, I want to antagonize him. This goes well beyond antisocial. You’re under arrest, Mr. Morales. The only place you’re going is prison. I hope you reflect on what you’ve done during all your years in prison.”

  Jorge’s face contorted into a mask of rage. “See you in hell, Detective.” He slapped his PNIU. Nothing happened.

  Erik snickered. “Thanks, Emma.”

  “You’re most welcome, Detective,” she replied.

  Jorge blinked and slapped his PNIU again. He jerked his hand up and stabbed the virtual number pad. “No, no, no. It can’t be. I was so careful.”

  Jia moved around the edge of his desk, approached him from the side, and smashed her fist into his face. He spun with a groan and crashed to the floor. She shook her fist out, knelt, and grabbed a new pair of binding ties from her pocket.

  “Was this enough action for you, Erik?” she asked.

  “Yeah.” Erik stretched. “That was a lot more of a workout than I expected. I’ll never complain about suit-arresting duty again.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  May 26, 2229, Neo Southern California Metroplex, Bar Remembrance

  Jia sipped her beer, pushing against the cloudiness in her mind. It was her second drink of the night, but she wanted to avoid getting too drunk too quickly. Having a higher tolerance than she once had didn’t mean she could drink with abandon.

  Most of the big toasts had been conducted earlier. Everyone from the 1-2-2 had gathered to celebrate the enforcement zone’s part in the raid.

  It was a high-profile success, and everyone could be proud.

  She sat at table in the corner with Erik. They’d already chatted with different patrol officers and detectives throughout the bar, and most people were more than content to leave them alone now. Even though they’d played a key role in taking down the CEO, so many agents and cops had been involved in the raid, it was one time the Obsidian Detective and Lady Justice weren’t the focus of the attention.

  Jia preferred it that way.

  “You’re good with the other officers,” she announced, breaking a short silence.

  Erik gulped down more beer. Unlike Jia, he had gone through four drinks already. It was just more proof of his thirty years of military experience.

  “Huh?” Erik managed. He looked confused, but he wasn’t flushed, nor were his eyes bloodshot. She wasn’t sure he was drunk. “I don’t understand what you’re saying. What am I good about?”

  Jia smiled. “I’m the corp princess who ran off her first two partners. Even if they respect me, they don’t like me the way you do. I know a lot of them still feel uncomfortable around me. You might have come in a different way, but you have the military experience. I think they’ll always see me as a rich girl first.”

  Erik set his mug down. “A lot of these guys remind me of the people I served with in the Army. Some are vets, even if I’m the only one who took advantage of the Obsidian Detective Act. It’s natural that I get along with them.” He looked at her. “Is that a problem?”

  “No.” Jia shook her head. “It doesn’t bother me anymore, not really, but I’m not going to pretend it’s not there, either. I didn’t become a police officer to make friends, and as long as they aren’t trying to undermine my investigations, I won’t have a problem. Some are coming along better than others, like Halil. The rest know to keep their mouths shut. That’s all I can ask for.”

  She nodded in the named detective’s direction. Halil was chatting quietly with a couple of other men across the room.

  “You’d make a good captain,” Jia insisted. “Even a good chief. We need more cops like you, Erik. The rest of us are coming along, but we’re
captives of the system. Neo Southern California is just one place. Imagine the corruption under the surface of the major metroplexes.”

  “Maybe I’d make a good police captain, but it doesn’t matter.” Erik stared into his beer.

  “Why?”

  “Because I didn’t join to rise in the ranks, and I’ll never forget why I did.”

  “Molino,” Jia whispered, her voice barely above a breath.

  “Molino.” Erik nodded in agreement. “It never leaves my mind, even if I don’t talk about it.” He looked out over the group. “I’m just trying to do a decent job as a cop along the way and do my part to make sure Neo SoCal is a little cleaner each day.” He frowned. “But based on what’s coming out about the company raid and from other sources, I don’t know if my personal investigation is going to lead to anything. I thought I’d have found something by now.”

  “How can you say that? You heard the same briefing I did from Captain Ragnar this morning, right?”

  Erik let his head loll back and stared at the ceiling. “Yeah. They arrested some politicians and corporate officers. We’ve gutted a lot of the local syndicates. They say this raid has made Neo SoCal a much safer place, and it’ll lead to a lot of suits doing time. We’ve done it. We’ve cut out the heart of the monster instead of just cutting off individual tentacles. It’s finally going to get better after being much worse.”

  “Exactly.” Jia gestured around the room. Almost every patron drinking or eating in the place was a cop. “Not just us, but all the NSCPD and the CID. This was a big win. A huge win! And it did exactly what you said—it put criminals on notice all over Earth. A year ago, something like this wouldn’t even have been possible, because the chief at the time would’ve blocked it. Now, we’re not letting companies profit from criminal acts or syndicates operate with impunity. Every antisocial and criminal person who’s involved with this will do time. Fear of the repercussions should trickle into every other metro on Earth.”

  Erik pulled his focus back from the ceiling. “Jia, I’m not saying any of that’s a bad thing, but the big boys are still managing to shield themselves. Does anyone really believe no one at Hermes had any idea what was going on at the subsidiary? Morales insisted it was all his idea.” His hand tightened into a fist before relaxing. “I need another break, some small sliver of evidence I can follow up on. The conspiracy has to be involved with something like this.” He twirled his beverage on the table. “I was hoping something more would come out, something I could act on.”

  “It’ll take them weeks if not months to go through all the gathered evidence. You just have to be patient. Even if the CID or the NSCPD doesn’t recognize the significance, you might.”

  “I’ve been damned patient.” He ground his teeth loud enough for Jia to hear it and wince. “The ghosts of my soldiers have, too. I need something more and soon.”

  Jia reached over and placed her hand on his fist. He uncurled the clenched fingers and stared into her eyes. Her heart rate kicked up, and he looked down, his expression softer.

  “I’m here for you, Erik,” she offered quietly. “You don’t have to carry the entire burden alone. I can’t come up with new evidence, but at least I’m an ear if you ever want to talk about it. I know how hard this has been.”

  He nodded almost imperceptibly. “You’re right. This is a high-profile case. They won’t be able to bury everything if it’s there. I just need to be patient.” The distant look in his eyes vanished, and he smiled. “Thank you.” He looked over, catching the waitress’ eye from halfway across the bar and raising his empty. She nodded and finished grabbing a couple of mugs at the table she was busing. Erik eyed his partner. “I knew from the beginning it wouldn’t be easy to get my revenge.”

  He nodded, determination murdering the last of the dark expression from before. “I just need to remind myself of that every once in a while. What do I care? I got my de-aging treatment. I’ve got a long time to track the bastards down.”

  “So I told him…” Erik relayed, continuing a story he’d been working on for the last five minutes. He laughed and slapped the table. “I looked him straight in the eye and told him, ‘Sir, I have no idea how that pig got in that exoskeleton, let alone strapped in.’ You know what he said?”

  Jia chuckled and shook her head.

  “The general said, ‘It wouldn’t have been so bad if the pig had saluted me.’”

  Jia laughed heartily and swayed slightly in her seat. Her fourth beer had hit her hard.

  Heading home wasn’t a terrible idea, but that would mean leaving Erik. It felt good to spend time with him and hear stories from before he returned to Earth. He used to keep that part of his life so closed off.

  She understood why.

  Every story was a reminder of his past and the soldiers he’d lost, but she wanted to know everything about him. She swallowed as heat assaulted her cheeks. She wasn’t worried about him noticing. Her face had been red for a while.

  “You know what I told the general?” Erik asked, looking at her expectantly.

  Jia thought for a moment and grinned. “’Sir, we should recruit this pig. We can teach him to salute later.’”

  Erik barked a huge laugh. “You’re right. I even think that was the exact wording.” He scratched his cheek. “Have I told this story before? I don’t remember telling it to you.”

  “No, I’ve just heard enough of your stories that it sounds like something you would say.”

  He grinned. “You know me so well.”

  “You are my partner.” Jia took a deep breath. The alcohol might be loosening her tongue, but she liked what was coming out. Her PNIU buzzed, breaking the spell. If someone was sending her a message this late at night, it had to be important. She tapped the device. Her eyes moved back and forth as she read the message from Mei.

  Little sister, I understand you’ve been busy, given all the police work you’ve recently been involved in, so we’ve tried to leave you alone. We wanted to give you time to fully settle in, but I think it’s time you start considering new candidates. Corbin proved there are possibilities out there, so it’s simply a matter of time and effort. I know you understand that and will be far more receptive to our efforts going forward.

  Jia slapped a hand on her forehead and groaned.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m beginning to think the fake boyfriend plan isn’t such a bad idea,” she answered.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Erik yawned as he headed down the hallway leading to his apartment. He’d drunk a little more than he had intended, but it was good to let his guard down and relax with the other cops from the 1-2-2 and Jia.

  Everyone was right.

  An operation that large and complicated had risked deaths. Several officers and agents had been injured, but only three seriously. The same couldn’t be said for the suspects.

  “We really did it,” he murmured. “And all the training with Jia paid off.”

  She’d come a long way since they’d first met. The woman might never meet any reasonable definition of easygoing, but at least she understood that the rules existed to help find justice, and not that justice was defined by the rules. She didn’t need to be told when her stun pistol wouldn’t work anymore.

  Erik’s mind drifted away from the raid to their conversation at Remembrance.

  Fake boyfriend, huh? he thought, half-tempted to volunteer for the position.

  It was easy to ignore how he felt about her when things were busy. Even the 1-2-2’s endless reports helped keep his mind off his attraction.

  Other times, he focused on Molino to pull himself away from thinking about Jia that way, just as he had the night before, even if she hadn’t realized what he was doing. Even then, her first reaction was to comfort him.

  It wasn’t wrong nor self-indulgent to focus on Molino. He was on Earth to avenge the Knights Errant, and everything, including his own happiness, was a distant second. If he kept telling himself that, he would never fo
rget it.

  Erik approached his door, slowed, and looked around. There were no neighbors waiting to ambush him with stupid questions or requests. The more famous he grew, the more they wanted to chat with him or get his opinion on something. One idiot he barely knew even tried to get him to co-sign his flitter loan.

  He lowered his hand toward his PNIU. It was time to unlock his apartment and get some well-earned sleep.

  “Do not enter your apartment immediately,” Emma insisted. “Unless you would enjoy dying. Given some of your hobbies, I can never be sure, Detective, but if you die, the DD will almost certainly come for me, so I have a vested interest in your well-being.”

  The threat of death always sobered a man up. Erik was no different.

  “What are you saying?” he murmured.

  “There’s an intruder in your apartment,” Emma explained. “Since you haven’t informed me that anyone would be visiting your place, I could only assume it was a gun goblin here to do you harm. The logical conclusion would be someone affiliated with one of the syndicates or corporations you helped damage.”

  “Show me,” Erik ordered.

  Emma sighed. “Unfortunately, I can’t. There’s nothing to show.”

  “Dammit.” Erik’s nostrils flared. “They’re using optical camouflage?” he growled, and almost opened the door right away.

  The trail might have grown cold, but he would never forget the details of what had happened on Molino. The enemy’s use of advanced camouflage had been key to the ambush. He wouldn’t let them finish what they’d started. If they had the courage to come to his place to kill him, he’d honor that courage by beating the crap out of them.

  “As a point of clarification, let me note that I don’t believe optical camouflage is being used,” Emma explained.

  The revelation did little to quell the hungry, vengeful fire burning in Erik. “Then why can’t you show me what’s going on inside? I don’t have time for games.”

  “I keep cycling through the feeds, and there’s nothing unusual,” Emma explained. “But there are minor features in the camera feeds that are too close to earlier footage. Statistical analysis suggests it’s the same exact footage. You wouldn’t be able to tell the difference, but I can. This suggests to me that someone is spoofing the feeds, but to accomplish that, they had to gain access to the systems without me becoming aware of it. That’s impressive in and of itself and suggests this isn’t some gun goblin hired from the Shadow Zone. I would have been more impressed if they’d added slight variations to throw me off, but they were only expecting to have to fool another fleshbag.”