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THE LAST HONEST SECTOR COPBy
X5R-731
The Seattle Sector Cops have a well deserved reputation for corruption, brutality and incompetence. This has become the norm after over a decade of martial law. But for every rule there are exceptions and in this case there are two. Officers Jack Connor and Bethany Gibbons tried there hardest to perform their duties with integrity and honor in a sea of rising filth.
Jack Connor came from a long line of cops dating back to the nineteen thirties. Married with two point four kids, Jack had the build of a man who worked out at irregular intervals topped off with piercing blue eyes, fair hair and a high forehead getting higher due to premature hair loss. His eyes held grim determination mixed with sad hopelessness of a man fighting against the tide.
Bethany Gibbons was a stark contrast to her even-tempered partner. Bitterly divorced from an alcoholic, compulsive gambler, Beth worked out intensively to relieve stress resulting in the kind of body men fantasized about. Strands of red hair could been seen sticking out from under her helmet. Her volatile temperament had led to a series of reprimands for excessive force. So many in fact, that in the old days she would have been suspended from the force. But considering she hadn't roughed up anyone important, the department let it slide.
They were sitting in their patrol car.
"You're quiet tonight," Gibbons said conversationally.
Connor took a deep breath and let it out slowly through his nose. "I think Paula wants a divorce."
She looked at his sharply. "What makes you say that?"
"Little things. Talks a lot about moving. Riots last year spooked her something awful. She hasn't said anything outright for the kids sake."
Before Gibbons could say anything they received a call: robbery in progress at Victor Russell's residence.
Russell was one of the many 'business men' who plagued this city. He dealt in drug running, prostitution and human cargo underneath a veneer of respectability. Gibbons took her time getting there.
When they arrived they saw a black clad figure bounding over the roof.
"I'll try and head him off," Gibbons said and dashed in the other direction.
Connor did his best to follow the thief. Not an easy thing to do when he was on the ground and the perp was jumping across rooftops with almost inhuman agility. He saw the burglar duck down from one of the buildings. Racing around to where he expected to find his quarry, he instead ran into Gibbons.
"Did you see him?" Connor demanded breathlessly.
She shook her head. "No, I thought for sure-"
"He did! Dammit where'd he go?"
A search was conducted but no trace was found of the burglar. All in all, it had been an incredibly frustrating night.
Later that night, Connor finished up his routine paperwork and was preparing to head home. One of the advantages of working the night shift was that he was usually home in time to see his kids off to school and Paula to work. However, because of this cat burglar business, he'd end up hours later. He went to say goodnight (or more accurately good morning) to Gibbons to find her at the payphone, inadvertently overhearing parts of her conversation. What he heard disturbed him.
"Don't blame me because one of your people almost got caught at … I'm doing everything I can, but its not easy with Jack hovering over my shoulder … No … He wouldn't understand. He believes too much in the system to go outside it."
Jack heard enough. He went home without saying a word.
When he got home, as expected, Paula and the kids were gone for the day. Paula left a note saying there was some leftover bacon in the fridge, but he wasn't hungry. He kept thinking about the phone conversation he'd overheard.
What was Bethany involved with that she had to go out of her way to hide it from him? He'd known Bethany for close to six years and found it impossible to believe she was involved with anything illegal. At least not with the known conventional criminal elements. Maybe she was involved with some rogue task force that took the law into its own hands. Like those Police Death Squad that cable hacker was known to go on about. That sounded more Bethany's style; she had a mean streak a kilometer wide. He sometimes figured it would only be a matter of time before she went too far. Maybe she'd finally crossed the line.
That night Connor never had the chance to confront Gibbons with his suspicions. There was a shootout on the docs, apparently between Russell's people and Peirpont Lemkin's. When they arrived at Russell's shipping headquarters there was already a dozen bodies littering the premises. Weapons drawn they entered the warehouse.
"I'll check the upper levels," Gibbons said and vanished upstairs before Jack could protest.
Jack searched the bottom level. Finding only more dead bodies, he followed Gibbons upstairs. He found her in one of the offices copying computer files. When she was finished she removed the disk from the hard drive and stuffed it into her tunic.
"Bethany," Jack demanded quietly. "What are you doing?"
Bethany looked up, startled. "Jack. I – Look out!"
She leapt over the desk, pushing him to the floor just as the air filled with gunfire. Jack pushed Bethany off of him and returned fire, killing two before the last one ran off. Turning back to Gibbons, he saw she'd been hit beneath her body armor. Jack quickly radioed it in.
"Jack," she croaked. "I'm sorry … wanted to tell you-"
"We'll worry about that later."
"No time," she said coughing up blood. She gave him the disk. "You have to get this to 32 Terrace Place, apartment 14D. Promise me you'll get it there."
"Beth-"
"Please!"
"Alright."
He stayed until backup arrived and Bethany was loaded into an ambulance.
Connor went to the address Bethany gave him to find and empty room except for a table with a camera and computer monitor. When the door shut the door the monitor blinked on revealing a pair of intense blue eyes framed by a black and blue border with the words 'Streaming Freedom' scrolling along the bottom.
"Hello Officer Connor," an electrically distorted voice said. "I believe we have a lot to talk about."
Jack Connor stared in shock. This explained so much – no, it explained everything. He whispered hoarsely, "Eyes Only."
THE BEGINNING