Note: Well, I actually managed to get this one out at the time that I intended to, which is impressive for me. It's not perfect, but I think it's a nice and easy start to this 'series'. And it only took me till 5am last night to finish it. Talk about dedication! On with the show.
Episode Two: The Rookie. Part Two.
Date: 24.5.2172 CE
******
The first day of a new Citadel Security officer was usually a relatively quiet one. Assigned token tasks, such as a guard posting on the Presidium, or being sent out to deal with minor incidents. Certainly nothing dangerous, or potentially hazardous, as this might dissuade the recently commissioned officer into taking an early leave of absence. This, however, could never always be the case. There were those who got caught in the middle of something that was far beyond their experience, or simply thrown into a situation where they were in over their head.
This, on occasion, led to the unfortunate incident of an officer getting taken down. A sad occurrence at any rate, but even more so when it was just a rookie. There were, also, times when the new officer might succeed. Prove themselves as it were, catapulting their career to new heights, and at a much quicker pace than would be usual. Too often though, it is the former example which comes about. The Academy's training can only provide so much. And sometimes, it's just some poor shmuck who was transferred over, given no Academy training, then thrown straight into the fire with nothing but a gun and their instinct.
******
Networking. Just another part of the entire C-Sec operation. They were the front line defence against all typical 'cybercrimes'. Identity theft, copyright theft, hacking, viral attacks, illegal AI. You name it, they probably track it. Regardless of this, outside of sitting behind their computers and wasting away, Arlond saw little use for them. He was a 'beat-cop', as the humans would say, preferring to be down on the ground and getting stuck in. Being forced to sit in Networking would be a much more gruesome punishment than mere suspension from duty for him. Sitting there, not being able to directly do anything. If the criminal got away, dropped off the radar, it was give-up and start over. Of course, none of that was really how Networking operated. Indeed, it is a very construed view. They did a great deal of hard work, and C-Sec's functional capability would be extremely damaged without them.
Arlond usually palmed-off such comments, seems as the friendlier explanations usually came from the department itself. So, of course, their views would be biased. Couldn't be trusted. He felt that his view was probably right, deeming them as nothing more than glorified key punchers. Suffice to say, he generally tried to avoid their section of the precinct, and not just because they all thought of him as the biggest ass hole in C-Sec to date. It is understandable then that he was in no rush to get there, along with the fact that he was sure their case was no big deal. A financial record with a few oddities was hardly something to get worked up about. This didn't stop Brenic, however, who could barely contain his intense expression of glee. It was sickening, but gave him a strange thought. During his first day, he had been a nervous wreck. Dropping data pads, spilling drinks, tripping over boxes. It was odd to see how differently this human was reacting. He was also thankful that there weren't many people still around who can remember his first day.
Still, he hadn't had much contact with humans up until that day. It created a sort of morbid curiosity in his mind, wanting to see how the rookie would deal with it all. There was so much that he still hadn't told, so much that he still needed to learn. What better way to learn than while doing it, right there and then? Training on the job. Best way to do it. Besides, he was sure that the human would undoubtedly bombard him with an array of questions regarding this, that, and the other.
These idle thoughts occupied him long enough that they had reached the entrance to Networking in barely any time at all. And it seemed that Brenic had been having some thoughts of his own, enough to keep him quiet anyway. Or maybe he was just good at taking not-so-friendly advice. Arlond came to a sudden halt just before they came in range of the automatic doors, the bright sign of 'Networking' hanging above it in an orange hue. The turian turned about slowly, checking down each way of the corridor, to be sure that it was all clear. Then, with his face as stern as ever, he looked directly at Brenic, who quickly stepped back once and shied away.
"Listen, before we go in there...you should just know that, well, things could get a bit tense," he paused a moment, scratching under his chin "See, I don't get on with most of the guys in Networking, at all."
"There's a surprise," came the muttered snide comment from Brenic, much to the shock of Arlond, who quickly glared at him. It seemed that it had been a though which was accidentally announced out loud, as the human quickly looked away to a nearby window, then down to the ground, clearing his throat loudly.
"Anyway," Arlond started sharply, shrugging off the comment "Just thought you should know. I still do all the talking though. Don't want you saying anything else stupid. Clear?"
All he needed was the slow nod from Brenic, before the detective gave out a gruff exhale. Again, he turned about and now headed straight through the door, making sure not to break his pace. The two were instantly greeted by a wash of heat from the many over-clocked and over-worked computer systems. The room was suited on the third floor and ran down the length of the building, directly through the middle, seems as the building was dissected into four separate quarters. This was one of the larger rooms, second only to the basement armoury and firing range. It had large windows, giving a clear view of everything that went on below, yet blocking out the sound. Each computer station had its own cubicle, and each one was constantly being monitored or worked on. The sound of many voices speaking at once made for a confusing chorus of noise, along with the hums, beeps and blips of the machinery.
People went to and fro, from one cubicle to the next, handing over data pads or simply conversing. Everyone was wearing their own headset, and everyone was equipped with a specialized omni-tool. Both were of a much higher grade than the ones afford to Enforcement or Investigation. This was another possible source of animosity. Indeed, many on the ground floor felt that those in the 'Networking Palace', as they so fondly called it, got far too much for doing far too little. Of course, such things rarely amounted to anything substantial, especially when there was work to be done. However, if something goes wrong, then all the departments are quick to point at any of the others, trying to pin the blame on them. Too often had an investigation been hampered due to infighting or petty squabbles.
This was why Arlond was so adverse to the idea of going there, and why he walked rather cautiously through the maze of work stations. Some might even dare to say that he looked rather meek. But, he knew who he was looking for, and didn't intend to stir up any arguments. After a while, the two officers came to cubicle one-nine-seven-A, Tech Operative H. Sil'an. Another asari, though nowhere near as friendly as Deena. They gave Arlond a quick glance, before muttering something inaudible to both men, though it probably wasn't something very endearing. After finishing typing something, she spun about in her chair, looking up at the two with forced interest.
"Hello Detective Dekarie. Officer Brenic," she said plainly, giving the human a slight nod "I suppose you two are here about something important," she spun back again, and proceeded to type something into her computer.
"Well, I'm hardly here for your pleasant personality Helum," retorted Arlond quickly.
"Har har. Everything should be in the case file, Dekarie. What do you want?"
"Just wanted to know which parts were falsified exactly. The name? Date? Amount? What?"
"Pretty much all of it, though I don't see why it really matters. The fact that it was done at all is reason enough to haul him in. Specifics don't matter," she answered, with a shrug.
"Maybe not to you. Anything else? Has he got any other crimes on his record? Involved with local gangs? Possible enemies? Regular hang-outs?"
"No, yes, no, not that I know of, don't know."
Arlond, getting the message loud and clear, rolled his eyes, gave a false word of thanks and then left, with Brenic in tow. If there was anything else to uncover, then they were going to have to dig for it themselves. Most of his questions might have seemed trivial, but the turian had learnt long ago that you had to have every conceivable angle covered. At least then you couldn't blame failure on a lack of planning or foresight. This school of thinking had served him well thus far, and he wasn't about to stop. So, the two went on their way, heading straight for precinct vehicle dock. Usually, officers sent out on a case went in a C-Sec cruiser, but Arlond preferred the subtly of his personal vehicle. Besides that, it was a much more comfortable ride. Both he and Brenic piled into the dark green coloured car, the doors closing with a click, and the engines starting up with a satisfying rush of energy. Soon enough, they were up and off.
"So," the human started cautiously "Where's our first perp situated then?"
"The Ahto Ward," came the quick reply, ignoring the ridiculous human slang word used "Eldnor Quarter, Hamlas Tower. EFET."
"EFET? Hah, what the hell is that?"
"Easy find, easy tag. I guess they must have left C-Sec jargon out of them fancy vids, huh?" the detective remarked, a overly sarcastic tone in his voice "Better learn them quick, or you'll never understand what we're saying."
They went onward in silence from there, Arlond not wishing to talk, and Brenic remembering what he had been told. It was, however, less awkward for the new officer this time around, his mind focused entirely upon the task at hand. If he was going to get others to stop treating him like dirt, then he was going to have to go all-out on every case for a considerable amount of time. Even then, people still might just go on like they have been so far. Should that be the case, then he would let it drop, intending to simply show them up at every possible opportunity he got. That's what he had always been told anyway. 'When in doubt, prove them all wrong.' One of the numerous pearls of wisdom from his esteemed father.
Soon enough they had entered the Ahto Ward, with their target tower block coming into view. The vehicle bobbed and weaved through the surrounding traffic, going at immense speeds and turning with precise accuracy. It didn't take long before they had broken away from the main line of traffic, and were on a direct course toward the Hamlas Tower. Brenic could not wait.
******
Hamlas Tower. It was the same boring mix of greys and metallic blues as all the other towers surrounding it. Nothing separated one from the other, save for the occasional small patch, or out of place window. Each one was defined by the massive holographic sign which hung above them, all of them shifting through different colours at odd times. There was a seemingly constant shift of people leaving and arriving at the tower in their vehicles, or simply going through the ground entrance on foot. Due to the dizzying heights that most towers reached, only people who lived on the first few floors generally used the actual main entrance, while others made use of the platforms which were situated at every fifth floor.
Arlond's car swiftly fell upon the platform, situated on floor twenty. Those present merely gave the arriving officers a curious glance, before returning back to their own business. Their suspect's apartment was up on the twenty-third floor, which wasn't even close to the halfway point. Thankfully, this particular part of the Wards was not nearly as prone to crime as most others, meaning that they were unlikely to run into anything particularly troubling. With a simple hand gesture, and a nod toward the entrance, both men were on their way. Neither of them broke their stride once, as people simply parted way upon their approach. Things never really ended well for those who got in the way of C-Sec, not usually anyway.
Eventually they came upon the control panel for the lift, where there was a set of six. More than enough for the constantly moving inhabitants. Without even giving it a second though, Brenic quickly pushed down on the holographic button, hailing one of them. They only had to wait a few moments before a clear 'Ding' sounded out, and one of the sets of doors slid open. Arlond entered first, turning about and putting a hand out to stop the human from entering also. He shook his head sharply.
"Take the stairs kid," he ordered gruffly, much to Brenic's dissatisfaction,
"What? Why?!"
"Outside of the fact that I told you to? This is a salarian. He probably knows we're coming. I need you to cover the stairs in case they try making a break for it," came the retort, with a slight tinge of joy.
"But I-"
"Better hurry," Arlond started as the doors started to close "These things go pretty fast..."
Brenic stared blankly at the solid grey doors which now occupied his vision. He gave a loud "Son of a bitch" remark, before darting off to the left and immediately bounding up the stairs. The human took two or three steps at a time, making good and timely progress. Anyone coming in the other direction quickly side-stepped in surprise, seeing that the man wasn't about to stop for anyone. And, as if to pour salt into his wound, Brenic could clearly see the lift which Arlond occupied through the glass panelling which followed the stairs up. The turian was as stoic as could be, blissfully unaware of his partner's struggle to meet him on time.
It was, as it turned out, a fruitless exercise. Thompson hadn't even passed a single salarian, and only garnered a few well deserved odd looks from passers-by, or some choice words aimed at him. He did, however, manage to come upon the lift before Arlond arrived, grinding himself to an immediate halt as soon as he reached them. The human leant upon a nearby wall with one hand, affording himself a few seconds of rest, which were rudely interrupted by his superior's arrival. Not even a query as to how he felt was given. Dekarie merely glanced at the heavily panting man, rolled his eyes and then brushed past him. Allowing himself one more moment of respite, Brenic straightened himself up again, and then briskly followed behind.
They went on down the corridor, passing endless rows of blank doors and bland walls, with only an occasional plant breaking this monotony. It must have been a good five minutes before they came upon their intended destination. The salarian's name, Jath Palor, shown clearly on a holographic sign next to the door, along with the apartment's number. The weathered turian gave a nod to Brenic, who detached his side arm from its holster, holding it down at his side and standing to the left of the door. Arlond also brought out his firearm, holding it behind his body slightly. He wasn't really expecting anything, but it never hurt to be prepared.
"Mr. Palor. This is Citadel Security. Please open the door," Dekarie called out, knocking on the door also, but no answer "Sir. Please open this door," he said it louder this time, knocking more harshly as well. Still no answer.
He pressed the button on the right, to try and open the door, but it instantly turned red, indicating that the door was firmly locked. Giving out a sigh, Arlond put his gun away, bringing up his omni-tool and hastily pressing a few things.
"C-Sec personnel, #186.093B. Order; lock override," he stated out loud, directing it toward the door.
With a few mechanical clicks and whines later, the button switched to green and the door opened itself, a mechanical voice giving out an "Affirmative" and "Welcome Detective Dekarie." They were greeted by a dark scene. All lights and other things had been turned off, and though there was signs of the apartment having been in use not long ago, there was currently nobody situated inside. At least, not in the front room. Arlond quickly gave Brenic the go ahead to enter, the human doing so quickly, flicking on the torch on both the underside of his pistol, and on his head visor. Dekarie simply used the one on his omni-tool, and didn't fell the need to draw out his weapon again. The room itself was rather large, but generally sparse of any personal possessions. There was a set of sofas, which were built into the walls, a standard holographic television, a small area for the kitchen. Nothing really out of the ordinary for this sort of area. There were three more doors, each one leading off to a separate room.
Another quick gesture told Brenic to go and search the one room, while Arlond chose to scan the two on the right himself. The first was, much to his disappointment, just a lavatory and held nothing of paramount interest in it. However, doctrine dictated that an officer must check everything. A brief search led him to the medicine cabinet, which was full of various stimulants and adrenaline boosters. Whoever he was, and whatever he was doing, he found it necessary to make use of all of these. It was hardly any solid evidence, but something worth noting. Arlond swiftly left, going back into the main room, briefly catching a glimpse of Brenic, before entering the next room. Here he found a simple plain bed, which looked as if it hadn't been used for some time. The only other thing of note was a wall safe, which was wide open and completely empty, save for a single credit chit. He have the room a quick once-over, but found nothing.
"Sir!" came the call from out side "Think I got something."
The turian found it hard to bring himself to believe that the human really had stumbled upon anything substantial. Arlond went back out again, finding his partner standing just outside of the opposite door, the lights on his gun and head making it difficult to see him clearly. With squinted vision, he walked over, passing-by Brenic without a word, and heading into the room. It was occupied by numerous desks, a heavily damaged data bank and a rubbish disposal chute, which every apartment had. Numerous empty food trays or drink cans lay scattered about, most of which were energy drinks. It was obviously some kind of computer room, but all of it had been removed. Brenic shuffled over to the rubbish chute, standing next to a pile of discarded wrappings and various scraps of paper, which was surprising seems as paper was largely a rarity on the Citadel.
"So, I did a regular search of the room. Checked that data bank," he started, pointing at the sizeable machine "But it's totally fired. Circuits and everything, probably beyond repair. Then I though 'Must have taken a while to shift all these computers'. So, I take a look down this here chute," he beckoned Arlond over, pointing his omni-tool torch down and holding open the hatch.
The light clearly showed numerous pieces of circuitry, wires and other computer related items which hadn't quite made it down, meaning that Jath had quickly thrown as many things down there as he could, as quickly as possible. Arlond took a look down, and gave a single nod. Once done, he walked away again, and Brenic closed the hatch.
"Good spotting, but it's hardly anything else that we can put on him."
"No, I know. But then, I noticed this blinking light at my foot. I reach down into that rubbish pile," he said with a disgusted tone, jerking his thumb in the direction of the pile "And I dig out this," at this point, Brenic produced a small data-pad from one of his pockets, offering it out to Arlond "I guess it must have slipped away in all his hurrying. Check the last entry. It's a pretty interesting read, sir."
Dekarie snatched the pad away, and pressed it into life, its screen flickering for a moment before revealing a menu of five separate entries. Clicking it down to the last, he opened it up, revealing a few short paragraphs, which read;
Things were going so well at first, but I think I've made a big mistake here. I created it to help earn money, not to build another one! I've already destroyed the original, but the copy is...gone. I don't know where, or how. But now, it's ruining my records. Still taking in credits though, strangely enough. I wonder what it's doing? Not that it matters really.
I think C-Sec are closing in, though for the wrong reasons. Either way I'll get locked up for sure, no denying that. Besides, they won't care, as long as they get hold of me, so what difference does it make?
Damn A.I. I wish I had never started this stupid project in the first place...
Though he would never admit it, this was actually a very good find, and would serve as enough evidence to bring the guy in. That was two charges they had now. Falsified records, and illegal A.I. Arlond smiled curtly, turning the pad off and pocketing it for himself. He gave a nod to Brenic, who recognised it as a sign for them to leave. Both men pressed off the torches that they had on as soon as they entered the light of the corridor again.
"Well, we got something more on him, but no idea where he is. What now?" Brenic asked, not noticing that the turian had already gone to the next door over, and was currently knocking loudly on it.
A tired and disgruntled looking salarian answered the door, though they didn't fit the profile picture of Jath. He gave the two an angry look with barely opened eyes, obviously having been rudely awakened from his slumber. Though they only required an hour or two of sleep each day, it was still a vital part to their life, just as it was for any race.
"Yes yes, what is it?" he snapped in a demanding manner.
"I'm Detective Dekarie of Citadel Security, and this my...'partner', Officer Thompson. I would just like to ask you a few questions about Jath Palor. He's the salarian who lives ju-"
"Yeah, I know him. Quiet guy. Usually keeps to himself. Been out a few times. Pretty sure the only times he's gone out is with me and a few others. Seemed kind of...jittery lately though. Tried to find out why. But, he wouldn't say. Why?"
"Hmm...where is it that he frequents? Usual hang-outs and the like?"
"Jath? Umm, probably down in one of the market computer stores. If not there, then he'll probably be at i-Tartha, some extranet cafe or whatever. So, is that it? Can I go back to sleep now?"
"Yes, of course sir. Thank you for your cooperation."
The door closed, but not without a few angry slurs and comments about C-Sec from the annoyed salarian. Within a few seconds, the two officers were off again, heading back down to the platform, and hopping into the vehicle. Soon enough, they were speeding off toward the local market, sirens blazing through the crowded highways.
******
Any marketplace in one of the Wards was a mass melting pot of everyone and everything. One would be hard pressed to think of an item which could not be obtained from the multitude of stores, legal or otherwise. The market areas were, arguably, the busiest sections of the Citadel, and the place where massive amounts of credits changed hands every minute. And it was here, amongst the hustle and bustle of the crowd, where they were closing in on their target. Dekarie could feel it, almost able to smell the salarian, even before they had left his car.
Quickly he scanned the area, bringing up his omni-tool briefly to check something, nodding once as if to confirm some hidden suspicion which he had chosen not to share. The markets lay out before them, a single walkway leading to a crossroads, which led to paths which looked exactly the same, the only difference being the shops which ran along either side. There were no doors or walls to speak of in most shops, making access to them just that much easier. Anyone who was not used to the scene, such as one Brenic Thompson, might very well be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of flashing lights, loud sharp noises, the buzz of conversation and the constantly shifting crowd. He didn't even know where to start looking, and was actually thankful to have the well versed turian nearby, as Arlond seemed to know exactly where to go.
He had, rather wisely, landed them in the electronic and computer sections of the markets, making their search time all the shorter. Dekarie pointed out a few stores where Brenic should start, while he would cover a few of his own. However, before the two could split up, Arlond grabbed the rookie's arm tightly, pulling him forward slightly and talking above the mess of noises.
"Remember. Skinny, short, green complexion. Try not to spook him!" he shouted.
"Got it!" was the short reply, along with a simple nod.
Brenic began his search in earnest, heading into Falfor's Electronic Emporium first. He was greeted by a short bit stout volus, who's protective suit was an odd mix of green and yellow. The conversation was brief, with a picture of Jath being shown as well. What information he got was minimal, though Falfor did mention that he thought the salarian had passed by not all too long ago. Encouraged by this, the human pressed on, heading to the next shop, and then the next, becoming more and more disheartened as he went along. They either hadn't seen him for quite some time, or just simply weren't sure. He felt that some were holding back, hiding something. But, it was hardly as if he could beat it out of them, not in public at least. With sunken hope, he stopped outside of the last shop he had been in, putting both hands to his hips and looking up to the 'sky'. With a heavy sigh and a shake of his head, he brought his vision downward again, massaging his forehead gently. This eventually worked its way down to his eyes, where he tried to clear away the sleep. He was extremely tired, not having had a chance to rest at all, or even acclimatize. The gravity here felt...odd, to say the least. Heavier.
The man briefly caught sight of his perpetually disgruntled partner, who was also working his way through the stores on the opposite side. With a blank and disinterested expression, he looked over to the next shop which he would be going into. It was yet another computer store, which he had decided he liked the least. They either had an odd smell, or were too hot inside. However, just before heading in, he saw two salarians exit the shop third over from the one he was currently situated at. They seemed to be conversing. A hand shake passed, then a brief and friendly hug. Friends saying goodbye. He frowned, taking a few steps closer. They continued to talk. But, it was the one on the right which particularly perked his attention.
Skinny, short, green complexion...wait!
His eyes widened as he suddenly realised who he was staring at, just as the salarian cocked his head to the left, catching the human gawking at him. They stared at each other for a brief few seconds, before Jath's eyes went wide also. He started saying a few hurried words to his friend, already starting to take a few steps away, prompting Brenic to begin approaching. Then, in a state of panic, Jath dropped everything in his hands, spun about and then ran off into the crowd. Determined to prove his worth, the young human took after him at full speed, barging or pushing people out of his path. He shouted after the salarian.
"Stop!" it was mostly drowned out, but he persisted "Citadel Security. Hold it!"
This was, however, a fruitless endeavour, as the salarian clearly had no intention of stopping, for C-Sec or anyone else. It was fortunate for him then, that he seemed able to move and shift through the crowd unheeded, like a brisk body of water. Nothing more than a mere brush was felt by a pedestrian he passed by. On the other hand, Brenic had no such fortune to help him through the heavily crowded market, relying instead upon his loud, demanding voice, ordering people to move aside. Failing that he would merely shove or barge any bystander who failed to hear him, or chose not to heed his warning. This caused a number of yelps and gasps of surprise, disrupting the generally peaceful atmosphere. He did have to halt this process momentarily, as he came upon a krogan, choosing neither to shout at it, or try to barge it out of his way, Brenic was forced to side step quickly, choosing to instead push a volus aside and continue on with the chase.
"Keep on him human," came Arlond's voice over his headset, the turian clearly having seen Brenic persue Jath earlier on "I'll have you covered."
He hadn't a clue as to what this "cover" entailed, but wasn't one to ask. Instead, his mind was entirely focused upon the criminal who was currently putting a significant distance between them. There was little he could do to overcome this. Salarian nature simply made them much more agile than he. Jath took a sudden and unexpected turn into one of the stairwells, leaping and bounding down them with ease. Brenic, struggling to keep up, went down after him, his heart pounding and his breath heavy. Whereas the salarian would take three or four steps at a time, the beleaguered officer could only afford to take two, at the most, still having great trouble working through the crowd. They spiralled downward like this for sometime, avoiding any obstructions in their own unique ways. At one point, a considerable amount of space was taken up by one of the numerous cleaning units, its bulky box-like structure making it difficult to pass by. Jath, being as lithe as he was, simply vaulted over it, carrying on with easy. The human took a similar approach to what he used in the crowd, momentarily increasing his speed and tackling the robot out of his path, causing it to tilt onto the side of its small wheels, and then fall flatly on its side. It also caused a certain amount of pain for him, having to barge aside a metal construction with nothing but himself.
Jath once more made an abrupt turn, after they had gone down at least ten or eleven flights of stairs, heading into one of the more run down areas, where the corridors became narrow and many seperate walkways passed over each other. The tight space presented a new problem of having no room for manoeuvring, but at least there was no crowd to speak of any more. Exposed pipelines and valves lined some of the walls, some clouds of steam or other substances leaking out from cracks that had yet to be attended to, though he could already spot quite a few keepers working constantly to remedy this. Their footsteps met the metal grids of the walkways, causing them to shake and clang with each footfall. With the area relatively clear of any obstructions, Brenic could now start making up ground. The salarian's grace would do no good in open ground, as the human's more powerful legs came into full effect, starting to close the gap at a steady pace.
"Stop!" he called out again, slowing slightly and bringing out his pistol "Stop or I will fire!"
The warning was ignored, and Brenic let off a shot which resonated throughout the area. It flew just to the side, missing its intended mark and instead hammering through one of the many pipes just ahead of Jath. It let out a great gush of steam into the salarian's immediate path, causing him to stumble and falter under the unexpected assault. Brenic heard him let out a surprised yelp, yet he persisted on running, forcing the already tiring human to press on more. Little ground was lost from the shot being fired, so there was still a clear line of sight between himself and Jath. Clear enough for him to see the salarian put one hand on the railing to his left, stop and then leap off the side. With a shocked expression, he stormed over with as much speed as he could, stumbling to the stop roughly where Jath had jumped over. Shock turned to annoyance when he saw that there was another walkway about ten feet below, where Jath had landed into a roll and instantly started running again. Lacking such acrobatics, Brenic had to put one leg over first, and then the next, struggling to keep himself steady. Then, in an extremely clumsy manner, he went down also. A tinge of pain shot up through his legs as they clattered down onto the metal below, bending slightly to lessen the impact. With a pained expression, he staggered forward before pressing himself into a full sprint again.
One more sharp turn to the left, leading to the vehicle platform of this building. Brenic fully realised that if he did not catch up immediately, then the salarian would make off in his car and likely never be seen again. Adrenaline coursed through his body, and though his muscles ached, he kept on, as was required of him. Sweat was running down his face, in part because of their heated surroundings, but mostly due to this excruciating run. The doors opened up before them, instantly being hit by a crowd again. A similar story to the one previously took place again, with Jath working his way through easily, leaving Brenic to stumble and push through foolishly. The vehicle bay was in plain sight now. Jath turned back, confirming that he had put enough distance between he and his presuer. A satisfied smirk formed across his pale green and guant face.
Turning his head back, he was met by the unusual sight of a rather angry turian standing in his path, one who definitely had not been there before. They were too close, and such was his speed that Jath could not stop in time. It was literally a split second between him seeing the turian, and then that same turian body checking him, bursting out with both arms in a violent push. Jath had the wind knocked out him instantly, falling to the floor with a painful thud. He groaned miserably, his vision blurred and head against the cold, unforgiving, metal floor. Jath felt himself being picked up by the scruff of his neck, before being pressed against a nearby wall. He was helpless as a set of handcuffs were slapped across both wrists behind his back.
Eventually, Brenic arrived at the scene, in a mess of exhaustion and plain annoyance. The human doubled-over, taking what few precious seconds he could to catch whatever breath was left. He gasped and panted, even going so far as to wheeze at some points. What just happened wasn't entirely clear in his head. There was the vague memory of seeing Arlond spin out from behind the corner, and then simply slam into the poor unsuspecting salarian with all his might. Certainly not a pain free arrest, and probably the source for much complaint from Jath as soon as they got him to the precinct. With both hands at his side, Brenic straightened his back again, taking in a large inhale of breath. He and Arlond caught each others gaze for a moment, but neither of them smiled.
"I though...you had me...covered," complained the exasperated human.
"I did. Just not in a way you could see," Arlond started "I tracked his car on my omni-tool, and where it was located. Figured that's where he would head, so drove ahead and waited here. Didn't even need to keep a look out with all that damn racket you were making."
"You could have told me...about that plan...a bit earlier," retorted the covering Brenic, who's face was slowly going from red to pale again.
"Well now, then you wouldn't have tried so hard. Our friend here," he said, shaking Jath slightly, who simply whimpered "Might have got suspicious. Might not have come here. Now come on, lets get this useless bastard back to the precinct."
Arlond turned to leave, with Jath pushed out in front of him. However, Brenic had one last question, taking a single step forward and putting an inquisitive expression on his face.
"And what if you had been...wrong?"
"Hmm," the turian stopped, taking a second to think on that, tilting his head upward slightly "Then, I suppose you would have carried on chasing him till you couldn't any more, and he would have gotten away. Fortunately though," he looked back now, a confident smile in place of the usual grimace "I'm never wrong."
******
Later on, having put Jath through the identification and verification process, they held him in one of many interrogation rooms. They already had more than enough evidence on him to put the salarian away for a considerable amount of time, but it always saved so much effort if they just admitted to their crimes on record. Arlond hated having to waste his resources on such trivial matters. Trivial to him anyway. So now they sat, in the bright, but morbid, room. Both officers sat side-by-side, with Brenic staring directly at Jath and Arlond attending to some matters on a data pad. The salarian darted his eyes about, side-to-side, up then down, anything to avoid the C-Sec officer's gaze. His hands were laid out on the table, one holding the other and moving about in a nervous manner. Silence was much worse than any interrogation they could do. It was so...unnerving. Jath cleared his throat quite a few times, in a futile attempt to be rid of the eerie quiet. Not even the hum or buzz of the precinct could be heard.
Eventually, Arlond put the data pad to one side, before leaning forward, resting both elbows and the table and clasping his clawed hands together. He looked directly at Jath, his face unreadable and motionless. The salarian's eyes were instantly drawn to his, through fear or respect, it was hard to tell. Suffice to say, something about those predator-like eyes forced him to look, whereas he could easily avoid the much softer human stare.
"Mr. Jath Palor, isn't it?"
"Y-y-yes sir," came the stuttered answer.
"Mr. Palor, do you know why you've been brought here?"
"I'm...I'm not saying anything until my attorney gets here."
"Please answer the question."
"You think that I...falsified my financial records."
"And did you?"
"No, I mean...no, it..." the salarian became silent, his head dropping down to look at the table "It wasn't me..."
"Then who Jath? Who was it?"
"I...you...I can't say. I won't!"
"Well, that's okay. We can just take a look at your data pad here now, can't we?" Arlond held his hand out toward Brenic, who quickly produced the mentioned pad and gave it to the detective. With a few clicks and beeps it was open "Oh my. Look at this. 'I created it to help earn money, not to build another one!' Looks like you got into a bit of trouble. Tell me, Mr. Palor. What exactly did you create?"
"I...I-I-I. How did you get that? You shouldn't have that! It's private! You-"
"You tried to throw it away," Brenic suddenly interrupted, much to the surprise of both present "Answer the damn question."
"I'm not telling you anything," came the sure reply, a frown forming on his face "Especially not you, human."
"Very well," Arlond continued "Lets keep on going; 'I've already destroyed the original, but the copy is...gone. I don't know where, or how. But now, it's ruining my records.' The original? The copy? What is it, Mr. Palor? What did you make? What was ruining your records?!"
"N-n-no, you don't understand, I didn't mean to-"
"'Damn A.I.'" Arlond started again, his voice much voice clear and pacing slow, to add on suspense "'I wish I had never started this stupid project in the first place.'" he threw the data pad down, and crossed his arms, leaning back again "An A.I. Mr. Palor. Illegal artificial intelligence."
"It was only supposed to help make money. I was poor, desperate, I needed to-"
"Any A.I. is dangerous and illegal, regardless of its purpose. You should know that! Now we've got a rouge A.I. on the loose, and no leads as to where we should even start looking. The entire Citadel could be at risk because of your selfish actions, Mr. Palor. You may want to think on that for a while."
Arlond rose from his chair, giving the salarian a disgusted look, before quickly indicating for Brenic to follow after him. Both of them went over to a nearby work station, where a set of security screens were displayed, showing the view of the room they had just come from. Jath sat alone, his head in his hands and pressed down against the desk. He certainly seemed extremely distraught, maybe even sorry about what he did. But, it didn't matter. An apology wasn't going to get him out of this mess.
"We've already done enough here," Arlond said, pressing a few buttons and making the screens blink off "He'll crack soon enough and confess. Job done."
"Guess it wasn't as easy as you thought though, huh?" Brenic remarked with a slight grin.
"Maybe not for you," was the reply, with Dekarie not even bothering to look at him "But I definitely had an easy time on this one. If you weren't so rash, then you would have had it easy too. Hopefully you'll learn from this."
"Hey, you two," came a voice from an enforcement officer "Captain Ullok wants to see you sharpish. Both of you."
Brenic looked to his superior, a concerned expression on his face, only to see the completely calm and composed Arlond, who had talked with the captain far too many times to be worried about it at all. The two were soon heading over, one afraid of what they could have done wrong, and the other just wondering why he needed to go there.
******
It was odd, to see how differently they entered the captain's office. Arlond might as well have sauntered in, striding casually inside and approaching Ullok's desk. Meanwhile Brenic followed closely behind, his uniform as neat as he could possibly make it, his hair tidied, shoulders back, chest forward and back straight. He walked like an awkwardly moving statue, with minimal wasted effort on unnecessary movements. Whereas Arlond was already halfway down to sitting, Brenic waited patiently to be offered a seat and immediately took it, looking directly at the captain with unblinking eyes.
"Good work on that case you two," he started, looking up from his computer "We've already started trying to find out where that A.I. might have gone to. Hopefully, we'll track it down within the month."
"It was hardly the biggest case of my life, sir," quipped Arlond, who sat in a relaxed manner.
"Perhaps not. But, I hear you still saw fit to tackle our suspect onto the ground. You know that he could file in for Officer Brutality."
"Then we go with self-defence," Arlond said with a shrug "The guy was clearly charging straight at me, right kid?" he proclaimed it rather than asking, backhanding Brenic on the arm slightly. The rookie did nothing but nod his head vigorously.
"Indeed. Well, just be sure that you don't have too many criminals attacking you in such a manner again Dekarie," the captain replied, obviously knowing it was a lie, and his actual meaning was conveyed quite clearly to Arlond "I think that should be all Detective. I'll call you in later if I need you."
"Good. Thanks captain. C'mon kid," he said, standing quickly.
"Ah, no. I'd like a moment with Mr. Thompson. Feel free to wait outside if you'd like."
Arlond gave the captain a confused looked, before glancing at Brenic and then back at Ullok. He gave one nod, then turned and left, the room becoming silent again as soon as he was gone. The captain leant back, holding his hands together on his stomach and looking at Brenic with a steely expression.
"How's your first day been so far?"
"Well, I..erm, I mean it's...it was," he stumbled in confusion, not having expected such a question.
"Calm down. I won't bite. Just say what you want, within reason."
"Well, it has been...tiring. I haven't really had much time to adjust, the journey over was exhausting, I don't know anybody here, I haven't had a chance to look around and most treat me like dirt. Haven't even been shown to my apartment yet."
"Hmm, I'll have Deena get someone to show you around later. Someone a bit, 'friendlier' shall we say?"
"Thank you sir."
"And don't worry. You'll get used to everything after a few days. It always takes people time to adjust, no matter what age, race or origin. I heard that you did pretty well already anyway. I know how fast those salarians can be. Must have been tough."
"Well, yeah, actually..."
"Yes. But please, try not to be so...wild, in the future. The last thing I need is for one of the few human officers to turn up dead. Especially one who was transferred under circumstances such as yours. I didn't exactly have a say in you coming here, and I can't say I'm thrilled. But you better believe that I'm going to do my damnedest to keep you alive. Dismissed."
"Oh, oh...umm, thank you? Yeah, thank you sir," Brenic stood up to leave, but stopped to ask something which had been niggling at the back of his mind "Sir? What's likely to happen with that A.I?"
"We've already got some ideas that it might be somewhere in Zakera Ward. Networking will work to make sure it is, then hand over the case to them."
"And then...?"
"Then nothing. Zakera is out of our jurisdiction. There's no official lines that divide C-Sec up, but local precincts like to deal with their own crimes. It's a tradition of sorts. If it's tracked there, then it'll be out of our hands."
"But, what if they don't find it?"
"Not my concern. Now, if you don't mind?" Ullok looked back to his computer, and pointed to the door, indicating for Brenic to leave.
The human turned in a fluster of annoyance. He could understand what the captain meant, and even appreciate the intent, but it was still extremely frustrating. Knowing there was a problem which he couldn't solve was perhaps the greatest indignation for him. He only stopped briefly at the open door when Captain Ullok spoke once more, in a rather dry tone.
"Oh, and Mr. Thompson. Welcome to C-Sec."
After note: I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you kindly for taking the time to read it. Let me know what you think, where I could improve, what you do or don't like. Whatever. Take care!