The second the young teen marched across the PD lobby he knew he was in it for an interesting evening. He slumped over his desk and gave the young girl a sly smile. Wrinkinking his mustache while he awaited her anxiously to drop her next "discovery" on him. She was the definition of a wanna-be-detective. Unfortunately for her, she was too poor to pay and get proper tuition. Which was a real shame since she'd been a helpful unofficial novice operative who'd often supplied him with good enough leads to get the upper hand on crooks. He supposed he'd done wrong in accepting her help so many times though…hence now it'd become a bad habit of hers to enter the PD like just any trainee coming fresh out of the academy.
He sighed, taking a quick bite of his donut while his eyes watched her slow-mo right toward the desk. She was clutching her personal O.A. device tightly between her palms. It only made him smile fondly, she still owed him money for that secondhand purchase. Those O.A.s were rare to find even partially functional after years in service for the law as right-hand machines. They were often run into the ground they'd been born from right away, as the law clearly never ever rested especially around here.
"What brings you here again, Acadia?" He cleared his voice lazily, noting the tiredness in her own eyes.
She beamed up at him, clutching her circular O.A. unit tightly in her hands. The machine bore a copper tone from discoloration.
"Walter Headstone and Margaret Maldonado from the rural side of town are the two latest people who've gone missing in the utility tunnels beneath the city." She quickly placed her O.A. unit in front of her. Its small circular lens rotated in its socket awaiting her next command. Acadia pushed her long black hair out of her face and snapped her fingers in expectation.
Charlie only rolled his eyes, aware she had some sort of presentation at hand for the occasion. He glanced over his shoulder at the other PD officers completely occupied with paperwork and other nonsense that this Tuesday had brung with it. Yawning, he motioned her to get it over with.
She only smiled.
Her O.A. unit promptly straightened its lens, directing it toward the desk's smooth surface, and began projecting the images it had taken concerning the "case".
The images flashed bright blue before finally being "soaked" with color. It was images of the utility tunnels and a slideshow detailing the most recent changes in the past 6 months. Several sectors looked abandoned now that people had begun to avoid certain junctions and areas, while others looked highly transversed and worn from the sudden concentration of traffic.
"See!" Acadia stood on her toes trying to meet eye-to-eye with the older man.
Charlie only shook his head and scratched the stubble under his chin.
"Acadia, this isn't something new." He silently remarked, tracing his fingers over the worn walls of the service tunnels that'd been spotless a few months ago. "We're doing everything we can but there is little proof to confirm that anything "real" is happening down there…Both victims were not familiarized with the utility tunnels and may as well be lost somewhere down there or have fallen to their deaths. Both were in town to visit relatives. Bystanders say they asked for directions and we're directed to the nearest utility tunnels…There are so many people who use it as personal transport nowadays that it's almost impossible to stop them all. Especially when the wait list for approval concerning a personal car takes about four years, and membership for the subway takes two. People are always looking for a cheap alternative. "
" — But there is something "real" happening!" She slammed her fist over the fine grain of the desk, sending a shudder through the computer idly humming to itself nearby. Her O.A. unit vanquished the images at once over the sudden shudder and turned its shell with the rumble of its rotors to face her with its swiveling lens.
Before she could demand the images be projected again, the A.O. hovered above the desk just slightly deploying its control flaps and facing Charlie who only scratched at his eyebrow in exhaustion.
"Something's going down and you know it. The City Hall is ignoring the fact that something or someone is using the utility tunnels as a major personal delivery service and making whatever unfortunate soul happens to be in the wrong place and at the wrong time; vanish! The City needs us and you're awfully too busy looking over the Mayor's multimillion plan to renovate the city's rich downtown to even care!" The O.A. unit spat in frustration.
Charlie ran a sweaty hand over his face…closing his eyes and feeling the buzz of the warm rotors on the O.A. brush by his face.
" — and sometimes you make me believe you're the one in charge instead of her." He chuckled. The O.A. unit's lens turned in its axle, looking him over curiously.
"In 1985 there was a realtor company by the name of Eastside Realty located in the city of Chicago. They were all doing the dirty work for G. Sanford Enterprises. They terrified the neighborhoods so that they could buy out the land for the company to build what it pleased. Beating the little guy out of home — work —. Here in town, similarly, a new family entertainment center has been pushing out smaller businesses around like rubble! —" the small O.A. unit began its anecdote. Its minuscule glass lens idly turned in place.
"Look don't…"In-so-and-so-year" me." Charlie replied firmly, turning to Acadia who was biting down on her lower lip nervously.
"You have to listen to me." She spread her hands over his desk. "I've been asking around and —"
Charlie put his hand up, silencing the young teen.
" A family entertainment center, huh? Acadia, go home. This one's over your head. The PD can deal with this… the last thing I want is for you to go missing too and you're O.A. wandering the streets asking about you.``
"Listen, wise guy! I know a lead when I see one!" The O.A. shouted, pushing forward and letting its internal rotors whir inside its small sphere body. The small control flaps pick out of its sides like fins tilting it forward.
Charlie rolled his eyes.
"I don't know where you got it from, but I'd appreciate it if you got it out of my face." Charlie quipped.
Acadia sighed, loosening her shoulders and letting her posture slump. She clasped her O.A. unit briskly in her hands. The small orb turned its lens in its socket in surprise before the young teen gently nudged the shielded power button beneath, sending it into standby mode. The backlight in the clear lens turned to a shade of faint orange while the O.A. unit gazed idly before it.
Charlie set one of his heavy hands over Acadia's hand clasping her unit.
"I'd love to have gotten you on the force. It's hard to find guts, Acadia…but the police force has no future for you." The man put forth fondly, smiling gingerly.
The young girl gazed away from him.
"You can't stop me." She mumbled under her breath.
Charlie removed his worn, wrinkly hand from hers.
"Acadia, give me your O.A. unit…" The man extended his hand.
The girl's lip trembled.
"Charlie, you're not being serious! Mitch is all I have! He's a wonderful unit and he's done nothing wrong!" The girl snapped. "Get mad with me! But don't take my only assistant away!" She grumbled.
Charlie only suppressed a grin.
"I'm not taking it away from you. I'm gonna ask a friend about the images, that's all. See what I can find for you."
"Then just take a copy of the images." She snapped back. Furrowing her brows.
Charlie suppressed a cough.
"You know better than me that O.A. units aren't allowed to openly "share" internal files, much less interface with an unauthorized computer without a passkey and your Lil friend sure didn't come with one in the box when you got him at the pawnshop or did it?" Charlie teased.
Acadia sighed.
"Fine! Fill me in with his findings but you give me my O.A. back! I'm meeting up with a possible lead at 9:00, don't make me late!" She hollered as she gently passed him her O.A. unit and patted the desk with a hard smack.
Charlie watched rather amused as she marched out of the PD lobby like she owned the place. The older man could only wish that perhaps someday she'd actually join the force.
Surely he'd not want to reckon with her, especially if she switched sides…
