Chapter 18
Kara and Luther stood outside a rundown building. The building wasn't out of place amongst the rundown wreckage that was standard run of the mill for this part of the city.
Some moss had grown outside and some of the building was caving in.
"Is this the place?" Luther asked with a frown.
"Only one way to find out. Simon said he tracked Ward to this location."
"What's with our clothes though?" he asked.
Kara was dressed in racy clothing consisting of a black spaghetti strap top with a short black skirt that barely reached her mid-thigh. She wore it over a girdle with girdle straps hanging from beneath latching to some knee-high fish net stockings. A small studded earrings which doubled as ear buds were placed on the ends of her ears.
Luther had insisted she wear his long green coat for some modesty.
Kara sniffed it. It smelled musty and faintly sweaty but there was something refreshing about the smell. The odour was homely and comforting. It oddly suited him.
"Don't know. Simon said it'd help us blend in," she said.
While Kara's clothes were more racy, Luther felt overdressed. He wore a black beanie on his head, a blue coat over a grey turtleneck and faded brown jeans with light brown shoes.
"You still got that pocket knife?"
"Yeah if I need it."
"Good."
Luther knocked on the door. A shorter brown skinned man opened the door. He wore zipped up green sweater jacket and sweatpants. A thick brown pair of glasses hung from his nose.
"Can I help you?" he asked.
"Can we talk?" Luther asked.
He smiled.
"You here for business?"
"You could say that."
"Come in."
The two stepped inside. Inside the building, it was surprisingly neat. A single couch stood in the middle of the room. Posters hung off the backwall with abstract images.
Long beads alongside magenta curtains separated the rooms.
The floor was surprisingly tidy. No evidence that they were dealing with a drug dealer at all.
"Amelia!" Dennis called out.
A woman with a red haired bob came in wearing similar garb to Kara's. A device shaped like a peanut was attached to the upper left corner of her forehead. The lights on the device flickered between blue and yellow.
'An android?' she thought.
Kara glanced at Luther's reaction.
He seemed equally perplexed by the woman who was glancing at Dennis.
"Yes, Master Ward?"
"Can you take this woman to the back room?"
"Certainly. Come along, dear."
Amelia gestured to Kara to come with her.
"So what's your real business being here, Sutherson?" Dennis hissed. "You going to arrest me. None of you can touch me."
Luther snorted.
"You really think we'd come here just for you? The DPD have strict orders not to touch this district and unlike you I know when to quit."
Dennis chuckled.
"I saw your partner earlier. Let's just say I don't love liars."
"Even though you are one yourself."
"I believe your partner also had a bullet wound on his left shoulder too. He made the funniest expression when I jostled it. You don't want it to get hectic in here do you? It might not end well for you or your woman."
"I'm not picking a fight. You would know that if you bothered to use those scanners of yours, Ward."
Dennis scanned him and his eyes widened.
"You're a felon too. No, it's more than that. You're wanted by the law. This is great."
He chuckled.
"How does it feel to be on the wrong side of the law. Your partner would have a field day. Maybe I should tell him. Maybe then he'll stop this inane idea of his."
"Why bother with the act, Connor can't touch you here and you know it. His business isn't my own. I have my own reason for coming down here."
"You don't expect me to believe you came here to buy red ice do you?"
"That's exactly why I'm here for."
"Your partner said the same thing. You expect me to believe that you and your partner have suddenly become drug addicts."
"I believe there are rumors that they are health benefits to red ice unless you are insinuating that they are liars and I can't really taste the rainbow as one of them put it."
Dennis sighed.
While this was going on Amelia walked with Kara until they reached a room. It had lockers near the backwall and a set of three mirrors on the right side much like a room set aside for makeup artists.
"Are you a call girl too?" Amelia asked.
"Call girl?" Kara asked, feeling uneasy.
"Yeah, y'know one of those women that men take to their bed every night?"
She wondered if she should lie. This girl could be an android.
"That device on your head. You're an android right?" Kara asked.
She chuckled.
"No."
"So that device is detachable?"
"Of course."
Amelia placed her fingers around the device but winced in pain.
"Are you alright?" Kara asked. "You don't have to prove anything to me if it hurts that much."
"I never thought to remove it," she said. "Everything had been so painful before I arrived here. Once Master Ward took me in I thought it could be a fresh start. He had treated me so kindly since my arrival."
"You said you never thought to remove it. Was that device always attached to your forehead like that?"
"At my old job I used to work as a prostitute with some other lady but we got separated. Some guy killed her and I was brought to the hospital. Everything is fuzzy after that. I couldn't tell when I was awake or asleep until I woke up. Next thing I knew I was accused of murdering her so I came here. It's not any better but at least I'm happy. What about you?"
"Don't really know much. Lost my memory before I came here," Kara said.
No point about being dishonest when there was no memories to work with.
"You two seem quite attached compared to most of the people that come down here. You're lucky that your man doesn't mistreat you like most of the men do here."
"What other kinds of guys come down here?"
"Mostly people who want to get their hands on some red ice but he usually does business in one of the back rooms."
"Will Ward take him to that room?"
"Yeah, he'll probably want me to prepare refreshments for your man and the other two guests."
"The other two guests?"
Amelia lead Kara out of the room to an area that was downstairs to a basement.
Inside the room were several stalls. They passed a stall where two men were seated.
One of them who Kara recognized as Connor, who had rescued them at Ralph's home, wore a black beanie and a camouflage jacket over a grey turtleneck sweater. He also wore blue jeans and light brown shoes.
The other one was another man who had accompanied them on the way to Jericho.
What was his name again?
He wore the same clothing from that time. Catching Kara glancing at them he met Kara's eyes and smiled.
"Hey Kara."
Kara jolted in surprise.
"Don't react. I am speaking to you through my mind. Me and Connor were sent by Simon to assist you."
Two other women were dressed in similar clothing gallivanting around the room.
"Hey Stacy, Shirley."
"Did Master Ward send you down here?"
"No, just came by to say hello," Amelia said.
"So who's the woman with you?"
"Her name's Kara."
"Y'know you two shouldn't be down here without the master's permission or he'll be mad at you."
"We were only visiting briefly. I'm taking her back to the room now," she said. "Are you going to tell the master?"
"No, we'll keep a secret."
"Thanks Stacy, Shirley."
While they were heading back Kara asked the question that was on her mind.
"So what do they do down there?"
"Master Ward thinks it's important to provide entertainment for the guests. So they dress up and provide a show."
"Sometimes I'm sent down there to cook or entertain as well. Ward appears to favor my service the best."
"AMELIA!" Ward's voice echoed from behind them.
"Looks like Master Ward is expecting me. You got to return to the other room."
Kara made her way back to the room she was in before.
So Simon had sent Josh and Connor to infiltrate this place too.
Amelia stepped in Ward's room as he was just finishing talking to Kara's man.
"I'm sorry I will have to reserve my business until I am finished with my other appointment."
"Who're you meeting up with before me?"
"Mr Dempsey. We do our business in a separate room though so you should be fine for the time being."
"What time will you two be meeting up?"
"According to my watch it should be a quarter past 10."
"If you're booked for another appointment I could wait."
"It's a long line. Amelia will send you downstairs. My girls should be able to provide entertainment in the mean time."
"Come along," she said gesturing for him to follow her.
Luther quietly followed her until they reached downstairs.
He was taken aback by the sight of Connor and Josh.
'Simon must have sent them as well.'
"Oh?" Amelia asked. "Do you three know each other?"
"We're old friends," Luther supplied.
"Oh then I suppose you'll want to take a seat with those gentlemen?"
"Sure."
Josh rolled his eyes.
Luther gestured to Josh to move.
He got up to make room for Luther who joined the seat next to him.
Connor was glancing stonely at him.
"Are you three thirsty? You look like you three can use some drinks."
"Um, yeah," Luther said.
Amelia smiled.
"Great then I'll go and get those for you."
Once she was gone, Luther was about to speak when Josh stopped him.
Josh took out a pocket notebook and a pencil in his inner jacket pocket. He set it on the table and wrote something.
"We are being recorded."
He put the pen down so Luther could pick it up.
Luther wrote a message of his own, a sum of what Ward had just told him.
Connor snorted after Josh had shown him the message before scrawling down a message of his own.
'You know you just made this harder by letting that android know about our relationship."
"Ward already knows we're both here. It's already risky us just being here. This is Dennis Ward we're talking about remember?"
"I haven't forgotten."
Connor glanced at his watch.
"Their appointment should be going on any second."
He showed the message to Josh.
Josh scanned the building.
"Three people are on the third floor."
"Three? One of them must be Dempsey."
Luther heard steps coming from behind them and turned.
Amelia had returned with their drinks.
"So what do we do now?"
"We can't be certain that Dempsey has any connection with Cyberlife." Josh wrote.
"I suppose you can't scan him from here?" Luther replied.
"No I can't. There is a Dempsey that works at Cyberlife but without facial confirmation it could be anyone."
"Have you already contacted Kara?"
"Yeah."
"Then this will work."
Whilst Kara was waiting in the other room, a voice echoed in her ears.
"Kara? Are you there?" Josh asked.
"Yes."
"I need you to be on the lookout for two guys on the third floor."
"I can't leave the room."
"You should be fine,"
"What do I do once I reach that floor?"
"Need you to stall them once they leave the room."
"How do you suggest that I do that?"
Luther cut in.
"Say you want to introduce them to me."
"I need more than that. What reason could you possibly want to see him?"
"Then find something. Eavesdrop on them."
Kara sighed.
"I know you'll find something. I believe in you," Luther said.
She whistled under her breath.
"Lovely."
"Good luck," Josh said. "I'll let you know when they're heading out but you should be fine for the time being."
Kara snuck outside her room and crept up the stairs to the third floor with her ears peeled for Josh's instructions.
A hall with two doors were on the floor. Both were shut.
"I'm on the third floor," Kara said.
"They should be on the first door to your right."
Kara crouched near the door to her right and carefully moved her ear close.
"You're late," Ward said. "Would it pay for you to get here on time."
"I'm sorry I was held up. Mariah had me working after hours."
"Next time tell her if she wants the shipment on time to send you here earlier or she won't receive anything from me."
"Maybe you should tell her yourself. Oh I forgot you still have the coppers on your back."
"The coppers will be after her if she don't watch her own back and you'll be out of a job," Ward said. "What does she pay you to do clerical work? Thirium?"
"I scratch her back and she scratches mine. After I lost my job as a firefighter, I had to earn a living somehow."
Kara stepped aside.
"Hey Josh, got any information about a Dempsey that worked for the Detroit Fire Department?"
"What did she find out?" Luther asked.
Josh did some scanning through job records. The Dempsey that had worked with Cyberlife also worked with the Detroit fire department before getting laid off due to an injury to his robotic endoskeleton. Even with repairs, his function hadn't been quite the same according to reports.
"Dempsey was a firefighter. Records show his last act of kindness was when he had rescued a family in a local neighborhood in Detroit."
Josh looked up scanning. Ward and Dempsey were about to leave accompanied by the third person.
"Sh-t Kara, you got to go. Ward is about to leave," Josh said.
Quickly Kara headed back downstairs. Judging from the sound of the floorboards as her feet walked across the first floor, she figured that going fast would create a loud noise.
That being said Kara wondered if she should
run
or
if she should walk briskly but cautiously.
Quickly she walked cautiously downstairs.
From the sounds of feet stomping behind her there was no time to head back to the room she was in.
Luther, Josh and Connor already prepared to meet up with Dempsey the moment they had left the room.
Kara turned to see if Ward and Dempsey had her in their sights and didn't see until she had run smack into Luther's chest.
Luther clutched her instinctively.
Ward and Dempsey caught sight of them. The third man that accompanied them was looked asian in appearance.
"Is there a reason why you four are huddled together in the middle of the stairway?" Ward asked.
"My man informed me that Mr Dempsey was the person in charge of saving my friend from a fire that nearly killed her," Kara lied through her teeth.
Despite the lie, Luther's heart raced at the fact that Kara had referred to him as her man.
A large built man with disheveled brown hair, brown eyes, bushy eyebrows and a five o'clock shadow replied.
"I don't work as a firefighter anymore. Sorry."
"Where do you work? My friend would like to personally think you for all that you did."
The man looked away.
"I can't say. Sorry toots."
"It's because you work for Cyberlife isn't it?" Josh asked.
Suddenly the other man that had been accompanying them fished out a gun from his coat pointing it at Josh.
"Kim, stand down. The last thing we need is to start any trouble," Dempsey said. "What do you want in return?"
"A meeting with your superior and a tour of the facility in Detroit," Josh said.
"Mariah won't go for that and you know it," he said. "She don't trust anyone from this establishment much less people like you."
"Then what about someone from the police force. You said she don't trust anyone from here right? Say I know someone who's not from around here. What would you say then?"
"Depends on who you had in mind."
"Connor here, works for the Detroit police."
"How do I know you won't squawk about this entire operation?"
"You have my word. I'm willing to keep quiet as long as you agree in this part of the deal."
"If I don't."
"Then I kill you and there will be nothing more said."
Dempsey chuckled.
"You think I'll let you. Kim is Mariah's personal bodyguard and is trained for this kind of work."
"I am also trained for this kind of work and I don't obey orders," Connor said staring bravely into Kim's eyes.
"You can trust him, Dempsey," Ward supplied. "Bourne is everything but unreliable. I would know."
Dempsey snorted.
"All right. You got yourself a deal."
He held out his hand and Connor took it.
After Dempsey and Kim had left Ward spoke with them.
"So you only stopped by just for him?" Ward asked.
"No," Connor said.
"We were looking for anyone with connections with Cyberlife. Simon figured that if there was a connection they would go to you," Josh said.
"Then why didn't you just ask? The leader of Jericho has to send two police officers with their scare tactics?"
"You're the one who assumed we were here to arrest you. Maybe you should study up on the law since Cyberlife clearly didn't program you with intelligence," Connor said.
"Shut up," Ward said.
"Since you're up to spilling you're gut now. Mind if I ask another question?" Luther asked.
"How do I know he won't try to kill me?" Ward asked pointing to Connor. "Last time we met he wanted me dead."
"You pushed me off a building and shot my partner in the chest nearly killing him. So can you really blame me if I get trigger happy?" Connor asked.
"I guess you don't forgive and forget," he said.
"How do you make Red Ice?" Luther asked.
"It's a secret."
"Who're we going to tell. Contrary to what we've told you we're not using the recipe to get high off the stuff," he said.
"We have reason to believe that the chemical compound, thirium comes from red ice."
Ward rolled his eyes.
"You guys and your theories."
"Oh, then care to explain why there was no mention of thirium recorded decades before it's conception?" Josh asked.
"So what does that prove?"
"You know exactly what it proves," Luther said. "Cyberlife is getting it's thirium through red ice."