Sinjin worked as fast as he could with the one hand he had available to him. The other was shattered at the forearm and was now in a cast from the time the bat came down on his arm after Steven found out he hadn't made much progress. Burf was simply knocked out with a fist to the side of his face. Both worked tirelessly until a missing component to the algorithm Sinjin was working on finally panned out. Everything began falling into place after that. He felt relieved and elated, rushing to show Burf who sighed in similar relief.
"What do you have?" Daniel demanded, wandering over to them.
"We did it. We completed the virus. Can you give me my sister and let us go now?" he pleaded. Steven came over with the bat resting on his shoulder.
"Upload it to the servers running the robots. Until those things short circuit and at least take out a cop to prove me right then you aren't going anywhere and neither is your sister," he refuted. Both sagged in their chairs.
"Get a hold of those hackers again and demand they give us what we need. We can't waste any more time. I'm not taking no for an answer. They already lost favor with me when they didn't respond last time," Steven ordered Daniel. He nodded and pulled out his phone, contacting them. The answer he got back made him gulp, knowing it wouldn't be what Steven wanted to hear.
"They aren't taking jobs anymore," he forced out.
"What?" Steven spat, turning to him. He backed away.
"Don't shoot the messenger," he said, holding a hand out. Steven rolled his eyes and reached out to yank Sinjin closer.
"Trace 'em. Find out who they are so I can turn them in," he growled. Sinjin got to work immediately, finding their location minutes later. A bit of poking around and light hacking told him who they were. He wished he was mediocre when it came to hacking. He was more of a software kind of guy. The names he read were people he knew. One from high school who went on to the same college he attended. They still kept in touch. The other was well-known only because she had a direct family tie to the police force and was close a friend with the first. Quickly, he worked in a tracer back to him. If they looked they would find a path they could easily follow to the perpetrators. Endangering other people's lives wasn't worth it anymore. He couldn't kill many in exchange for one. He hoped his sister would forgive him. Steven returned, leaning over his shoulder.
"Robbie Shapiro and…oh, this is my lucky day. Victoria Vega," Steven read after shoving Sinjin out of the way.
"Vega? So what are we going to do? Kidnap her?" Daniel questioned.
"Too obvious. No, we won't kidnap her. We'll kidnap her dear father," Steven schemed.
"Isn't that risky?" Daniel inquired hesitantly.
"Yes, but it's his fault for being the one to tip the scales allowing the robot program in the first place. Besides, I would have loved to show West a thing or two, but after last time she might be hard to contain. She isn't human anymore so she can burn with the rest of the robots," he sneered.
"When do we strike?" Daniel asked.
"The end of the month. Vega is usually tired from the month long work hours at this time of the year. The last day of the month marks the end of the week so he gets off at an earlier time. No one will miss him for a few hours which will give us more time to work with. We'll have to distract West though. She follows him around all day like a puppy dog looking for attention and praise," he planned. Daniel snickered his agreement but soon faltered.
"But wait, West is his partner. If something goes down then she'll likely be there with him," he pointed out.
"Which is why we think of something important enough to separate them," Steven said, like it was obvious.
"How?" Daniel asked.
"Easy. We threaten his daughter and give him a trail to follow, bait. He'll put West on guard duty and continue on the case alone," Steven explained.
"That could work," Daniel accepted.
"It will work. And we'll be there to clean up the mess. We'll be the ones who disable the robots and arrive a bit too late to save our fellow heroic police officer. No one will know we set up the whole thing," Steven said with a shrug.
"And the bait?" Daniel questioned.
"That's where you come in," Steven answered with a devious smile. Daniel didn't like the sound of that. The time would come to play his part, but for now, they just had to lay low.
-.-.-.-
Time spent with Tori seemed to fly by for Jade. It was getting easier and easier to talk to her. She might even be getting closer to her than her dad who was happy to see their close friendship develop. For the past month they spent any time available to them together. Sometimes Jade went over to Tori's apartment and hung with her and Robbie. Other times she spent it with the Vega family. She didn't invite Tori to her apartment out of the respect she spoke of. She didn't want to put them in a complicated predicament. The times they went out somewhere were special enough. They weren't considered dates, but with no eyes on them they were free to toe the line of friendship into something more. A touch here, a suggestive comment there. And the flirting. Tori was more notorious for it than Jade who used it as a teasing thing while Tori meant what she said most of the time. She wanted to explore the possibility of being with Jade intimately. Never had she considered having a girlfriend until she kissed Jade that fateful night when they put their differences aside.
Currently, it was Jade's day off. She was at the gym, bench pressing weights equal to Tori's own while the young Vega was caught up in watching her from where she was on the elliptical. It wasn't unusual for them to go to the gym together. Both were guilty of checking out the other, but Tori was the one who was caught in the act more times than not. Jade had to maintain a toned figure if she wanted to be able to lug her own weight around so she visited the gym often. Tori usually went with her, eyes trained on the muscle flexing under Jade's lightly sweating skin. Jade set the bar in place and sat up. Tori quickly looked away, reaching out to turn up the music on her Pearpod. Jade stood, thoroughly toweling herself off. She hated sweat. She wandered over to Tori, stopping in front of her. Tori watched her lips form words but heard nothing until she pulled out an earbud.
"…to go?" she heard Jade say, only catching the end.
"What?" she asked. Jade rolled her eyes but repeated herself.
"Are you ready to go? I'm starving," she said.
"Sure. I could go for something," Tori agreed. She slowed the machine to a safe stop and stepped off, rolling up the cord on her Pearpod.
"Where to?" she asked, taking Jade's towel from her to wipe her face.
"I was thinking maybe we can stop by our favorite sandwich shop then head to my place and watch a movie," Jade suggested. Tori perked at the idea.
"Sounds like a plan," she said with a nod.
"Cool," Jade responded, leading the way out. As always everyone they passed glanced at Jade, some subtle and some obvious. This was the only time her mostly cybernetic body was on display not counting the few times they swam together. Any other time they were in public she avoided wearing shorts or skirts so she didn't get stared at as often. Depending on the weather she sometimes wore things that exposed her arms, but most of the time she wore long sleeves. In the locker room they switched their shorts for jeans and threw on shirts before putting on their jackets. Afterward they headed outside. Jade had driven them there on her motorcycle. The first time Tori got on she almost had a panic attack at the speed as well as the fear of falling off, but now she was used to it. She particularly liked that she had to cling to Jade in order to stay on. Jade stuffed their things in the side satchel then handed Tori her helmet. It was purple and bought specially for her as an invitation to join Jade on long rides at night where they would sometimes stop to sit and talk.
She sat down behind Jade who was pulling on her own well-worn black helmet. Once they were strapped on Jade started up the vehicle. It came to life with a roar and Tori wrapped her arms around Jade's middle. Out of habit Jade checked to make sure she was holding on before taking off, her hand running over Tori's briefly. They stopped by for their choice of food then Tori was given her first look at the building Jade lived in. It had a modern artistic style to it that Tori found weird but intriguing. Jade led her to the elevator and took it to the correct floor. She stood waiting while Jade unlocked the door and let her enter first. She walked down the short hall and stopped to stand in the living room. It had a simple layout with cool colors that didn't lack a welcoming feel. Small hints of Jade stood out in art on the walls or the choice of furniture. Tori walked in further and plopped on the soft textured couch. The cushions practically hugged her. She let out a long sigh Jade laughed at.
"Food first," she admonished, heading to the table. Tori groaned but got up. She sat down across from Jade who passed over her sandwich.
"This is really mine, right?" she checked, taking it apart. The last time they were in a hurry to eat and their sandwiches got mixed up. Jade ate too quickly to notice the slight difference while Tori smelled the onions and peppers she detested before the sandwich even made it to her mouth. Jade apologized and offered to pick everything out but the flavors still lingered so it wasn't as enjoyable to eat. Jade checked hers too, just in case.
"Yeah," she answered, taking a big bite.
"Don't be a pig," Tori told her, handing over a napkin.
"I love it when you talk dirty to me," Jade said through a full mouth. Tori rolled her eyes and fought back a smile so Jade wasn't encouraged, but she knew it was there anyway. She took the napkin from Tori and wiped at her mouth.
"I think we should watch a horror movie," Jade began, taking another bite.
"That's what you always suggest," Tori protested.
"And you decline every time. Don't be a baby, Tor," Jade taunted. Tori sighed but gave in. When they finished Jade got into a more comfortable change of clothes after a quick shower and offered Tori the same. After that Tori laid down on the plush couch with an appreciative groan while Jade put in the movie. She returned to the couch and scooped Tori up to sit her down in her own spot, giving herself room to sit down. As soon as she was seated Tori fell over to lay in her lap. Jade navigated the menu with one hand and caressed through Tori's hair with the other, making sure it was her right so she could feel Tori's soft tresses slide through her fingers. Tori's eyes began to close but they opened when she heard the ominous music playing.
"The Scissoring again?" she asked, looking up at Jade. It was her all-time favorite horror movie. It used to bother her when she was going through the tougher parts of therapy because the movie would cause her PTSD to reoccur. So she fought through the all too real fear she felt when she watched the young girls get torn apart. Sometimes she cried, gripping at the seam where flesh met metal on her legs and arm. Other times she got angry, breaking things until she calmed down. But she never gave up. It was her own brand of therapy she was sure her therapist would not condone. But she wouldn't allow what happened to change or control her life. It did enough damage already. She continued to watch the movie every day until she got past it. Slowly but surely she found why she liked the movie and learned to enjoy it again for what it was and had been to her, not what it reminded her of. By the end of it all she loved it more than before for the strength it brought out in her.
"Yep. I noticed it scares you the most," Jade replied without missing a beat.
"Oh joy," Tori grumped, sitting up when Jade pushed at her. She remained close, tucking herself into Jade's side, ready to hide her face when the blood and gore came on screen. Meanwhile, Jade cheered her favorite character on. That being the killer hunting down all her friends. Tori had time to shoot her a look before cringing at a rather traumatic death scene. She didn't watch many scary movies but when she did it was usually this one. Seeing it so many times hadn't blunted it yet though.
"I always admired her tenacity," Jade commented.
"Yeah, you would. I could see you following in her footsteps," Tori joked. Jade grinned, making it purposefully maniacal in nature.
"I could, couldn't I?" she agreed, lifting her arm off Tori's shoulder to thread her fingers in the hair at the nape of her neck.
"Starting with the pretty one," Jade murmured in her ear, tone husky and low. It sent shudders down Tori's spine and her already racing heart picked up for an entirely different reason. Jade's lips grazed Tori's jaw and then she breathed hotly on her neck. Tori's breath stuttered from her chest, the screams of death fading into the background. The adrenaline she felt from fear moments ago quickly transformed into something warm and pulsing, molten and churning. Jade's hand tightened in her hair and pulled her closer to drop tender kisses down her neck.
"Jade," Tori breathed, reaching out to grip the front of Jade's shirt. Jade nuzzled and then began nipping, biting down only once to test Tori's reaction. Not everyone enjoyed it, but the moan that rose from Tori's mouth said otherwise. She tugged as she fell back, encouraging Jade on top of her. Their bodies pressed together and Tori hooked her leg on Jade's hip, pulling her down tighter. Her hand slid up the back of Jade's shirt, smoothing over taut back muscles. Jade hummed approvingly.
"Tori," she moaned against the soft skin of Tori's neck. Tori's heart went erratic at the sound of her name spoken so reverently. Their hands began to wander teasingly, pushing and pulling at clothes, their lips meeting occasionally before drifting to taste skin, but they had to stop when Tori's phone rang. Jade scowled, unhappy to be interrupted. Tori giggled and dropped a kiss to the smooth underside of Jade's jaw before getting up to answer it. Her body thrummed pleasantly as she strode over to her phone where she left it on the table. She looked at the screen to see that it was Robbie.
"Who is it?" Jade asked.
"Robbie," Tori responded.
"Answer. He might need something," Jade advised.
"He better," Tori grumbled, taking the call.
"It was about time. I thought you weren't going to answer."
"What do you need, Rob?" she asked. He began to speak but halted at the impatient tone of her voice.
"I didn't interrupt anything, did I?"
"Robbie," Tori snapped.
"Ok, geez. I was just calling to tell you that I was going through things on the laptop and noticed someone had ben poking around. It was Sinjin. I recognized the signature code we developed together. He left behind this program. I ran the tests and picked it apart only to find that its source was poorly encrypted. He must have planted it on purpose."
"But why? And where did it lead?" Tori asked, glancing at Jade when she stood to stretch. She was perfectly mussed and all Tori wanted to do was hang up on Robbie and jump her bones. Jade shut off the movie and turned around when she felt Tori's eyes on her. She smirked and Tori smiled back.
"Are you listening to me?"
"Uh," she got out, none too intelligent. Robbie huffed. Jade walked over and wrapped her arms around Tori's middle, stroking her navel while her full lips pressed to her neck. She tilted her head to allow her more access and bit her lip, holding in a moan.
"It came from a source we were already familiar with. The regular who wanted our help hacking people's accounts. I did some digging and found out it was Steven and Daniel, which means Sinjin had to have been forced to help them somehow."
"What?" Tori exclaimed. Jade pulled away, concerned.
"Oh, now you're listening."
"Are you trying to tell me that they really are the ones behind the stolen money and we've been helping them too?" Tori questioned, her voice raising an octave in her disbelief.
"Looks like it. If Sinjin left an easy trail back to them he's trying to contact someone who can turn them in. We need to help him."
"Damn. I'll have to tell my dad about this sooner than I would have liked," Tori muttered grudgingly.
"You mean you haven't even after we stopped? I thought that's why we stopped."
Tori sighed heavily.
"It is why we stopped, along with another reason we don't have time to get into right now," Tori told him, said reason standing as still as a statue with the effort of listening in on the conversation.
"Then get to it. We have proof now, and a hostage situation. It's exactly what your dad needs to put these crooked cops away for good."
"I'll tell him as soon as possible. Thanks for the info," Tori said, hanging up.
"So I was right," Jade remarked, having caught everything of importance. She was already thinking of ways to drag in the corrupted cops.
"We have to take this to my dad. He'll want to see the proof and obtain a search warrant before taking any action," Tori said, rushing around to gather her stuff. She almost couldn't believe the drastic change of events. Almost. Unfortunately, as a cop's daughter she knew that anything could happen at any time.